


On the Gallian Front: The Gallian Campaign

by Heinkelboy05



Series: "On the Gallian Front" Series [2]
Category: Senjou no Valkyria | Valkyria Chronicles
Genre: 20th Century, Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Historical, Drama, F/M, Historical Accuracy, Historical References, Original Character(s), Valkyria Chronicles in Real World, War, battles
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-21
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:54:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 30,497
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24296956
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Heinkelboy05/pseuds/Heinkelboy05
Summary: "On the 15th day of the third month of 1935, the Empire began its assault in earnest. A formal declaration of war was made upon Gallia. Though it was only a small front in a series of massive continental assaults, what followed showed that a tiny nation, and a handful of brave heroes, could best a military giant. These events will tell a story of tragedy hidden in the mists of time. A story of courage and trust, of persecution and hate. And of love blooming, even in the flames of war. What follows is a record of this conflict. And of those who fought, lived, and died.My name is Jack Lawrence. And this is our story."This is a historical AU where the setting of Valkyria Chronicles is set in the real world Europe in an alternate 1935 of what was historically happening. As such, there will be historical themes and individuals of the 1930's present here, with the setting and storyline of the VC series carefully woven in here. Prepare to experience Welkin, Alicia, and other characters as they navigate through the story as it occurs in the tumoltuous and pivitol events of the 1930's.
Relationships: Welkin Gunther/Alicia Melchiott
Series: "On the Gallian Front" Series [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1819486
Kudos: 1





	1. Prologue: Gallia to Arms!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Kaiser delivers his speech on the eve of the invasion. Meanwhile, in Gallia, Welkin and Jack meet Alicia, at the Gallian border town of Bruhl

_(Note: I do not own anything. This is purely for entertainment purposes only.)_

_**New Berlin** _   
_**March 15, 1935** _

In the early hours of March 15, 1935, before the sun had even begun to rise above the horizon, a large formation of soldiers had gathered in New Berlin, the capital of Imperial Germany. In this grand city, in a large boulevard, a rally was being held where thousands of soldiers, citizens, and others were in attendance. From there, they were there to listen to perhaps the most important speech that was to be given in recent memory. With the civilians seated in the stands, the soldiers stood in formation and at attention all along the boulevard till the end, where it ended in a large square next to the Brandenburg Gate filled with soldiers and at a large building, where up above was a large balcony being used as a podium for one to deliver a speech. And all around, banners and flags were waving in the air, a symbol of the importance of what was to come. For those soldiers in the square, and those who could see the balcony in the stands or further back, they managed to catch a glimpse of the man who was slowly walking onto the balcony.

This man, in general, was no mere politician. For this individual was none other than the Kaiser of Germany himself: Byzantium von Britannien, head of the ruling Imperial house, the House of Britannien. Byzantium was thirty-five years of age, with a fair complexion, sleek medium length black hair finely combed, with grey eyes, very short stubble, and a well-built body.

The Kaiser wore an elaborate and finely made uniform, consisting of a black single-breasted tunic with red cuffs and silver cufflink buttons. He also had a pair of black pants with a thin red line going down the sides, along with a pair of finely made black boots and white gloves. Covering his tunic was a metal chest plate, similar in design to those used by the cuirassier, with red lining on the edges of the armor. He wore an elaborate red sash with a black and silver center that went from left to right down the front of his armor. His shoulders were covered with silver-colored epaulets as well as a silver fringe. Around his neck, he wore a Pour le Merit, the highest military honor of Germany. Strapped to his waist was a belt that on the left side had a sheathed sword and on the right, a holstered pistol, both neatly tucked into the finely made carrying cases. To round it up, he has a black cape with the silver etching of the House of Britannien emblem on it, as well as finishing it off with a black tricorn hat upon his head with silver trimmings. The outfit helped give the man a powerful presence that could fill a room.

As he approached the edge of his balcony, there was a podium placed there along with several microphones for his address to the people. And on nearby platforms, film crews kept their cameras focused on the Kaiser, as their teams worked to connect the stream from these cameras and have them viewed on screens behind the top stands as well as make sure his voice could be heard through speakers as well. This allowed the crowds and soldiers there to see the Kaiser deliver his message to those assembled. Once Byzantium was at the podium, he wasted no time speaking to not only those gathered before him but before all of the Empire and its citizens.

_**"My people. Sons and daughters of the Empire. For many years we had been a broken nation. Our economy had faltered, we were torn apart by civil strife and war, and we were humiliated by those who saw themselves as our betters! Sixteen years ago, I asked you for time, and that time was granted. Granted by you. The strength in my arm, the holders of our dreams. In the time you have given me, I have rebuilt our strength. I have rebuilt our nation. And I have rebuilt our pride. Our enemies at home who sought to destroy us have been quelled and dispersed, and those who remain hidden in the dark, afraid of our light. I have kept my promise to you all. I have brought our great nation back from the brink. And the spoils of it I have shared with you, the people of this proud and august nation!"** _

With that, his speech was welcomed with a round of cheers and applause by those in the stands, the echoes of which caused a smile to appear on Byzantium's face. With a gesture from his hand, it was enough for the crowd to die down for him to continue with his speech.

_**"But our work is not done. It has only just begun. Many injustices must be corrected. Many wrongs must be made right. And all of it stems from one thing, one document: the so-called Treaty of Versailles. This treaty, that my father was made to sign at the end of the Great War was nothing more than the work of thieves and rivals, who sought to make sure that we suffered! This treaty, forced upon us by the victors of the war, is simply an excuse by our enemies to humiliate and weaken us. We were forced to limit our military, to take the full blame for the war, and pay for reparations that we had neither the ability nor the responsibility to pay. They made us sign this treaty because they feared us. Because they fear that one day, we shall outshine them all! That we will ascend to heights that they can never achieve! So I said, to hell with the treaty! This pile of paper and words will not stand in our way! It will not stand to block our path: the path that I have taken us on! The time has come to send a message. To send a message to the Federation, to the Russians, the Americans, to all those who seek to tear down our empire! And that message is this: Send your armies, ply your tradecrafts, speak your speeches, but you shall not tear us asunder! Our empire traces back to the Germanic tribes of old! We outlived the Romans, and we will outlive you when your final days approach.** _

_**My people, the time has come to now act. On this day, we stand united once more. On this day, those that were driven to divide us will hear our voice! On this day we shall act as one, and we shall be ignored no more! Make no mistake. For today, is the beginning of our new dawn. On this day, we ready ourselves...for war."** _

Now it was the soldier's time to react to the speech. United and in unison, the soldiers pumped their right arms into the air and repeatedly chanted "Krieg!", the German word for war. Byzantium waited for the chant to die down before he started again.

_**"We are a nation, forged from the fires of war. And today we march once more upon it. We do so to enact the purpose that I have given you, the vision I have given you. A vision, in which this empire claims its rightful place within this world. Years from now, you will tell your children of this day. The day that my vision became your reality! Soldiers, ready your rifles! Sailors, set the course for your ships! Pilots, ready your planes for takeoff! All defenders of our great dream, take heed...NOW. IS. OUR. TIME!"** _

And with that, the crown instantly broke out in cheers, the loudest of throughout the whole speech. The roars were so loud that perhaps all of New Berlin could hear them. As for the soldiers, they each grabbed their infantry cutlasses and, unsheathing them, raised them towards the sky. The gesture itself was common in the Imperial military for it represented how these soldiers pledged their swords, as well as their lives, to their Kaiser. And all of them shouted in unison "Heil Byzantium! Heil Byzantium!"

At the sight of this, a sinister smile appeared on Byzantium's face. For all was going exactly as he predicted. War was on the horizon, and after today, the whole world would see the renewed strength of the Empire.

_"The year is 1935 CE. It has been sixteen years since the end of the Great War with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919. The famed "war to end all wars" failed to secure a lasting peace. Instead, all it did was sow the seeds for the next war. In the end, the world was racked by civil strife, the rise of fascism and communism, and civil wars. And now, the world teeters at the edge, and everywhere you looked, there are signs of another great war on the horizon. Japan, flexing its muscles as it worked to conquer China. America, a great power that had now isolated itself from the affairs of the world. And Russia, beset by foes both internal and external._

_In Europe, two great powers struggled for dominance over the continent. In the east, the sun rose over a collection of kingdoms united under one crown known as Imperial Germany, or otherwise known as the Empire. In the west, a loose collection of powerful European nations formed the Atlantic Federation. Both powers depended on a mineral known as ragnite for their survival. And each sought to counter the influence of the other and expand their dominion until it encompassed all of Europe._

_In the aftermath of the Great War, both the Federation and the Empire faced their troubles. In the Federation, the rise of fascism in Italy and socialism in Spain, a concerned Britain, along with a stubborn and vengeful France caused discontent among the Federation nations. In Germany, their loss fueled a civil war known as the Troubles which ended in 1922. That same year, the young Kaiser Byzantium solidified his rule over the Empire. And under his reign, the Empire regained their former strength._

_Emboldened by their progress and strength, the Empire soon set about to expand once more, and set its sights beyond those of its powerful neighbors. In neighboring Gallia, a peaceful principality along the sea, they found their next victim. Gallia had long maintained its neutrality among its more powerful neighbors. But the rich stores of ragnite under the Gallian soil, and the chance to settle old grudges, proved too tempting for the Empire. It amassed troops along Gallia's eastern border, and invaded with all the force of an avalanche."_

_**Later That Same Day** _   
_**The Gallian Border Town of Bruhl** _

_"In mid-March of 1935, outside of Bruhl, residents of the quiet border town were evacuating their homes. From there, they went to travel upon the roads further into Gallia, hoping to be safe should war come between Gallia and Germany once more."_

On this sunny day in Gallia, it would have seemed that all was right within the country. But appearances were deceiving. The recent buildup of German troops along the border had not gone unnoticed, and tensions were high as many Gallians wondered if another war with Germany was on the horizon. A few days ago, the Gallian military had been put on alert and was working on mobilizing their forces. A slow process but a process nevertheless. Meanwhile, citizens from towns along the border with Germany were being evacuated and Town Watches were called up to hold their positions until the army could properly send out their forces after full mobilization had occurred...which would be some time.

As for the people of Bruhl, they were abandoning their homes as well, hoping to find safety further inland should the Germans come. While there was no guarantee that war was coming, many within Galia remembered the German invasion of 1914 and knew how brutal the Empire could be. Along the rural roads leading out of the town, a family of refugees was moving out, walking alongside a truck that was carrying some of what they could carry with them. This site was becoming all too common for the towns along the border.

But walking on that same road, heading towards Bruhl, was a pair of young men. One of them was a young man of twenty-two years of age. He has brown hair and eyes, and a fair complexion. He wore a white buttoned-up shirt with a brown jacket over it along with blue pants, brown shoes, and had a large satchel of sorts slung over his shoulder.

Following him was another young man, a few years younger, at the age of eighteen. Like his companion, he had a fair complexion, as well as having short black hair, green eyes. The only main defect on his face was a scar that appeared over the man's right eye. Similar to his friend, the young man wore a simple shirt underneath a brown leather jacket that he had unzipped at the moment. He also had blue jeans but instead, he had a pair of brown leather boots on as well, more suited for the long trek. Lastly, he wore a simple newsboy's cap on his head, along with a grey, light scarf, and black fingerless gloves to give himself a distinct appearance. And slung over his shoulder was a satchel that carried some essential items for this journey they were on.

After they had passed by the group of refugees the older man looked around at the pristine countryside surrounding them remarked aloud "I haven't been down this road in years. It really hasn't changed very much."

"I'd be surprised if it did," commented the younger man, "I grew up in a big city Welkin. Change there tends to happen every day. But out here in the countryside, I imagine not much does change."

"I suppose you're right about that one Jack," agreed Welkin.

"Anyway, how much farther is it to Bruhl? We've been walking since dawn and my feet feel like they're about to fall off," complained Jack, his voice showing how tired he was. The pair of them had been traveling from Randgriz to Bruhl over the past few days and in comparison to his traveling companion, Jack was not liking their journey into the countryside.

Welkin merely chuckled at it before turning his head to look back at Jack and reply "Don't worry, it's not that far."

"Whenever you say that I never know if your definition of "not far" is either half a mile or twenty," mentioned Jack, obviously not feeling any better about Welkin's answer.

Welkin paid no attention to Jack's comment. Instead, returning his gaze upon the surrounding area as they continued down the dirt road. He felt the waves of nostalgia roll over him as memories of his life in Bruhl came back to him. The last time he had been in Bruhl was after high school, when he left to study at the University at Randgriz. Since then, the capital has often been his home, though he often reminisced about his hometown. He had come back to Bruhl for a reason, deciding to embark upon this journey after news of the German military building along the border was broadcasted. With war looming on the horizon, and the university temporarily closed, he came back to his hometown to help evacuate his family.

Though he didn't originally plan to have a traveling companion, Jack, whom he met at the university, ended up coming along anyway. Welkin didn't hesitate to ask him why, though he does remember Jack's answer, that he hoped that Welkin would have done the same if Jack was in his position. And for Welkin, that was as good an answer as he would likely get. Though soon, Welkin's attention was about to be focused on something else entirely.

Subconsciously looking to a stream that appeared on the left of the road, he spotted a trio of trout swimming upstream. Almost immediately, his eyes lit up as he enthusiastically said "Wow! Already?"

He quickly rushed over to the stream, kneeling next to the edge where the fish were. This action caused Jack to immediately stop and look at Welkin with a look that simply said: "not again". It didn't take him long to surmise what had just happened. Welkin had found some kind of plant or animal (the latter being more likely here) and that he has immediately dropped everything to get a better look at it. Knowing the futility of tearing him away from this, Jack merely resigned himself to walk over to where Welkin was, taking off his backpack and sitting beside his friend if only to rest his weary feet. Welkin had taken off his satchel and pulled out a pencil and sketchbook to draw the fish.

As he did so, he almost seemed to talk to the fish, remarking "Hey there, guys. You're beautiful. Starting early this year, huh? Wonder how the water is."

"You do realize that you're talking to a fish right? And that the fish probably can't hear you?" inquired Jack, wondering if Welkin was aware of what he was doing.

Welkin simply remarked back to Jack that "Not just any fish. It's the Gallian shining trout. They don't normally appear this early in the year."

"Well, I'm glad they did. I need a break from all that walking. My feet hurt like hell," complained Jack as he sat next to Welkin, letting his sore feet finally get some relief. He took his satchel and laid it down behind him, allowing Jack to lie down and rest his head on it like a pillow. In about ten minutes, Jack seemed to have fallen asleep, lightly snoring as he enjoyed his rest.

Five minutes later, as Welkin is about to finish with his drawing, he is startled by the sound of a gun cocking behind him. And he then heard a woman's voice command "Freeze! Put your hands in the air. Slowly."

Slowly, Welkin closed his notebook and did as the woman said. Turning around slowly, he soon found himself face to face with a trio of armed individuals. The woman in the middle, clearly the leader, was no more than nineteen years old. The woman was of average height with long, brown hair tied into two pigtails as well as brown eyes. She was wearing a light blue, long-sleeved shirt with a large white stripe down the center, along with a matching skirt, and a red bandana tied around her head. Around her waist, she had a brown leather belt and fingerless leather gloves with guards across her forearms as well as a pair of brown leather boots and light blue wool leggings that reached up to her skirt. Finally, she wore a blue shawl with red outlines and a blue armband on her left arm.

The two men beside her each wore civilian clothing as well as utility belts. Along with the armband that the young woman wore, they wore similar shawls as well as repurposed firefighter helmets painted light blue and having a plate in front which had the figure of two uneven towers with the word "Bruhl" under the image. All three of them were armed with civilian rifles, each of them a Remington Model 8 semi-auto rifle. Simple, reliable, and handy weapons for civilians and local police forces. These weapons fired .35 Remington caliber rounds and had five of them in their magazines.

"Haven't seen you around here before. What's your name?" asked the young woman, still pointing her rifle at Welkin.

Slowly getting up, his arms still raised, Welkin answered with "Um, uh, my name's Welkin."

After he said that, it was then that the young woman and the two other armed men noticed the still sleeping Jack. With a gesture, she had one of her associates try to wake him up. Using the muzzle of his rifle, he began poking Jack in an attempt to stir him from his slumber. After several tries, each one electing a response, the last one managed to get Jack to wake. Lifting his head, expecting to see Welkin, Jack instead found himself looking down the barrel of a gun. Realizing what he was looking out, his eyes seemed to bug out of his head as he immediately lept back, landing upon his back in shock and surprise. After a few moments, the man motioned with his rifle for Jack to get up. Jack, seeing no other option, did as he requested, raising his arms the same as Welkin before asking them "Who the hell are you, people?"

"The ones with the guns. We're with the Bruhl Town Watch. I'm Alicia, Alicia Melchiott," explained the young woman, identifying herself as Alicia.

Welkin knew what the Bruhl Town Watch was. Town Watches were paramilitary groups of varying sizes found in every village, town, and city within Gallia formed within times of war. They were civilian organizations that often operated outside of the Gallian Regular Army and Militia. They were essentially civilians armed with whatever firearm they can and with their recruits being those from the police, firefighters, etc. Their weapons were all those available on the civilian market, such as pistols, revolvers, shotguns, hunting rifles, etc. with many such weapons coming from the local police departments. Some of the Town Watches have enough ingenuity to create improvised weapons to use as well. Town Watches were more militia-like than the official Gallian Militia, lacking basic uniforms or standard weapons, using mainly what they could get. With the threat of the German invasion, Bruhl called up its Town Watch to help evacuate the citizens of Bruhl as well as try to delay the German invaders as best they can. Although it seemed that Alicia and her cohorts had something else in mind for these two.

"So, I'm wondering what you've been writing in that little book you've got there. Imperial spies are in the area," stated Alicia, turning her gaze to the notebook still clutched in Welkin's hand.

It didn't take long for the two men to figure out what was going on. Alicia and her two friends believed that they were German spies of some kind. And judging by the fact that they had come armed, they were taking their accusations quite seriously.

Jack immediately tried to deny everything, saying bluntly "I know nothing. I see nothing. I know nothing about nothing."

Welkin soon added nervously "Ah, this book is nothing. I was just sketching the fish, and...you know..."

"Yes, oh I know. And you know there's a war on the horizon don't you?" asked Alicia, clearly not buying it, "Alright then, Mr. Artist, we'll talk about fish sketching down at the station."

"Oh, well then at that case, I'll just be going and let you get to the-" started Jack, trying to talk his way out of this before he got interrupted by Alicia who said "Oh, you're coming along too. You may have been sleeping, but I can't take the chance that you're working with him. Take them away."

Alicia then took the notebook as the two men moved behind Welkin and Jack, moving them forward with the muzzles of their rifles. As they were led forward, all Welkin could do was sigh and mutter "Thanks, fish."

Fifteen minutes, later, the group was still heading towards Bruhl. Jack and Welkin still had their arms raised while Alicia was looking through the pages of Welkin's notebook. On occasion, the two Town Watch members would shove Welkin or Jack forward with their rifles, a signal for them to move faster. This often earned them an angry mumble from Jack, who was not liking their current situation. Meanwhile, Alicia seemed to be more interested in the various drawings Welkin had in his journal, finding them quite interesting.

"Flowers, bugs, and fish. You're not bad with a pen, are you?" admitted Alicia before stopping to look at Welkin and further stating "I have to say, they're very good."

"Thank you. So you see I was just sketching," said Welkin, still trying to convince her of his innocence.

"We aren't spies. So can you just let us go here? And preferably not hang us?" added Jack, hoping to add another voice to their case. Though noting a part of his sentence, he looked to Welkin and asked "Do they hang spies or shoot them?"

Welkin didn't acknowledge the question. Alicia on the other hand didn't seem convinced in the slightest. Turning on her heel, she now stood with her back to them as she declared "Maybe. Or this could be some kind of secret code. And I intend to take my time finding out for sure."

All that the two men could do was groan in disappointment, with Welkin bowing his head down as well. It seemed like there was no way out of this for them. This woman wasn't going to listen to their pleas, no matter how much they tried. Silently, Jack was hoping for some miracle to occur that would deliver them out of this predicament. But it seemed like his prayers were going unanswered...until they all heard someone crying out for Welkin's name.

Instantly looking to the source of that voice, all eyes looked to a young sixteen-year-old girl heading towards them. She was wearing a long green dress, heeled boots, and a simple shawl over her dress. But it was her physical features that had her stand out. She had a fair complexion with short, dark blue-black hair with eyes to match them. And on her shawl, she had a pattern on it which looked like a kind of red chains on a tan background. This was the pattern commonly known as the Darcsen pattern, used exclusively by the Darcsen people. Add in the young girl's hair and eye, only a blind or an ignorant man could not see she was a Darcsen.

Though Welkin seemed to know her, calling her out "Isara, your timing is perfect!"

"What have you gotten yourself into now, Welkin?" asked Isara once she made it to the group.

It was then that Alicia recognized the girl, having seen her before around Bruhl. Curious, she inquired "Wait. Don't you live at the old general's house?"

"That's right. I'm General Gunther's daughter, Isara," replied the girl.

"You do know that everyone's supposed to evacuate, right?" reminded Alicia.

Isara simply smiled as she explained "Yes, I'm aware of that. My brother and his friend are here to help me move to the capital. But that may be difficult...I mean, unless you're willing to let them go, that is."

Immediately, the bombshell hit Alicia and the two Town Watchmen as their eyes bulged and looked to Jack and Welkin, both now lowering their arms (though Jack's arms were folded and he gave an "I told you so" expression on his face). It wasn't long before the realization sank in that the two weren't German spies at all and that this was all just a mistake...one that could have been avoided, but still a mistake. Once that was all taken care of, Alicia then decided it was time to swallow her pride and apologize for falsely accusing the two.

"I apologize. But I was just doing my job you know. I saw you with the notebook and thought you were a spy. Again, I'm really sorry," apologized Alicia as she handed back Welkin's notebook to him.

"Thanks. Don't worry about it. I can see how we might have looked a little suspicious," stated Welkin as he put his notebook back in his pocket.

Jack seemed to be less grateful, as he reminded Welkin "Speak for yourself. All I was doing was sleeping."

Isara merely chuckled at that before extending her hand and asking "I take it then that you're Jack? Welkin's told me about you in his letters."

"All good things I hope. Nice to finally meet you kid. You're brother's told me a lot about you as well," replied Jack, shaking Isara's hand.

"I'm sorry I accused you. It's just with the tensions running high and all, we're all a bit paranoid about the idea of another war with the Empire," stated Alicia, apologizing to Jack but outlying her reasons for thinking he was a spy.

"Yeah. I guess I can understand that. Doesn't mean I like the idea of a gun being pointed at my face," replied Jack.

"Huh, you don't sound like a Gallian," noted Alicia, recognizing his accent sounded...well, anything but that of a Gallian.

"You're right on that. I'm from the United States. New York City to be specific. I'm sort of an exchange student at the university at Randgriz. It's where I met nature boy here," said Jack, providing her an answer before gesturing to Welkin with the "nature boy" bit.

When Alicia looked like she was about to enquire about it, Isara beat her to the punch by explaining "Welks has a real passion for observing nature. That's why he's studying it at the university, right?"

"Guilty as charged. I get so into it sometimes I forget where I am or that somebody might be watching me," added Welkin, confirming his sister's claims. With that, a smile appeared on Alicia's face at that remark. The peaceful moment was broken with the sound of gunfire. Instinctively, the two Town Watchmen readied their rifles and moved out while Welkin, Alicia, Jack, and Isara ducked for the ground, finding over in the drainage ditch on the side of the road not next to the river. Scanning the area around them, they searched for the source of that gunfire. Eventually, they found the source.

A little way down the river, past a small hill and a windmill, the group could see a small squad of German soldiers in the distance. They were moving over a small ridge and opening fire on a small group of refugees traveling to the capital. From the sound of the gunshots, they could tell it was both rifle and submachine gun fire that was hitting the refugees. Even from this distance, the group could see the refugees getting gunned down by the German bullets. To finish them off, one of the German soldiers threw a grenade which exploded, damaging the engine and causing the vehicle to catch fire.

The two Town Watchmen decided to do something about it. After moving a bit down the road, they took position and opened fire on the German soldiers with their rifles. The sounds of these gunshots immediately caught the Germans by surprise. However, they quickly reorganized and soon began returning fire, taking turns firing to cover the other members of their squad as they advanced. Once they were close enough, one of the Germans managed to score a hit on one of the Watchmen, hitting him in the stomach. His friend immediately rushed to him, grabbing the injured Watchman by his shirt and dragging him behind a small stone wall in-between the road and the ditch. With the Watchmen pushed back, the Germans continued their slow advance up the road.

Meanwhile, Welkin, Alicia, Jack, and Isara managed to sneak through the ditch and over to where the two Town Watchmen have taken cover. By then, the wounded Town Watchmen had succumbed to his wounds, reducing the group's numbers. The sight of the dead man seemed to unnerve some of the group, including Alicia, as she wasn't used to death. Meanwhile, Jack peeked over the top of the stone wall to take a good look at what they were up against. By now, the Germans were closer to their position, and on the other side of the stream, with the only way over to them being a nearby bridge. For now, it seems the Germans were cautiously advancing up the road, keeping their weapons trained on their position at the stone wall as they slowly walked past the windmill and hill to their right. There were some small sandbag walls placed upon the foot of the hill as makeshift defensive positions by the Town Watch if the Germans came. But Jack could see the Germans

And at this distance, he could see the Germans a lot better. About five Germans were moving up towards them. All decked out in their field grey uniforms and their equipment carried on their backs and belt. The one leading them was armed with an MP-40, the standard submachine gun of the German Army which held a magazine carrying thirty-two 9 mm rounds. And the other four behind him were armed with Kar98k bolt-action rifles. This weapon was one of the main rifles of the Empire, with this model being a shortened version of their Great War counterpart. Each fired 7.92 mm rounds, with the Kar98k holding five rounds. Lastly, in terms of weapons, each of them carried their standard infantry cutlasses and bayonets on their belts.

And with the Germans being well-armed in comparison to the group, they were also getting closer. If they didn't do something, then they were going to get killed. Leaning back down behind cover, Jack looked to the group and asked "Do we run, or do we fight? Because these guys are getting close here and I'd like to have an idea for what to do."

Alicia seemed to ponder this for a few seconds before looking to Welkin and asking "Welkin, you can handle a gun right?"

"Yeah. I mean, I made it through training anyway," answered Welkin.

"Well, they're probably just a small scouting team," stated Alicia, picking up the Model 8 from the fallen Watchman and handing it to Welkin, "We should be able to take them out."

"I'm with you," declared Welkin in a firm tone, taking the rifle and also the ammo belt from the fallen Watchman, arming himself for a fight.

"If you're going up against the Empire. Count me in as well," added Jack. After he said that, he opened his satchel before reaching inside of it. After a bit of rummaging, he pulled out a Colt 1911 semi-automatic pistol. This weapon was a common weapon from America, as well as the standard service pistol of its armed forces. It held seven .45 ACP rounds, which made it a powerful and reliable weapon. And Jack had one in hand, with some extra magazines for it within his satchel as well.

"Wait, you have a gun?" asked Isara, a bit surprised by that.

"I'm an American. We let people have guns, sue me. Besides, considering current events here, another guy with a gun would be useful," stated Jack, as he pointed in the direction of the Germans, who at this moment, were approaching the bridge and were about to be right on top of them. If they were going to do something, they had to do that now.

So without any other words, Welkin, Alicia, Jack, and the remaining Town Watchman took up position while Isara remained to hide in the ditch, looking to avoid being stuck in the fight without a weapon. As the Germans were crossing the bridge, two of the riflemen stood side by side as they slowly moved forward, weapons raised and ready to fire. Once they were near the end of the bridge, the four popped out of cover and opened fire on the Germans with everything that they had. Their bullets struck the two in the front, striking them in the chest several times before the German riflemen had the chance to fire. The remaining three instantly ran back, looking for cover. The German with the MP-40 took cover behind a tree that was near the bridge while his two compatriots hid behind one of the small walls of sandbags near the hill. Once they were in cover, they returned fire on the Gallians.

"I saw three left!" informed Welkin as he and the others hid behind the wall to avoid the bullets.

"That's three too many. We need to take them out," said Alicia.

Jack reloaded his pistol and said "The guy by the tree is the main problem. We take him out, I think we can handle the others."

With that, Alicia and Welkin crawled over to the end of the stone wall. Alicia took a prone position while Welkin continued to hunker the wall. They waited for when the German with the submachine gun had used up all of his ammo and was going to reload. Once the sound of his automatic weapon had ceased, the duo popped out of cover and opened fire. With some luck, Alicia had managed to line up a shot on the German and fired twice, striking him in the stomach and chest, killing him as he slumped down onto the ground. Now they just had to deal with the two riflemen.

The problem was that there was little cover between them and the sandbags other than the posts on the bridge and that tree. But Jack had an idea, and if it worked, then they would be able to get rid of these two. Moving over to Alicia and Welkin, he got their attention and told them "I got an idea here. I'm going to make it for that tree. When I start running, you two give me some covering fire".

With a firm nod of understanding from both Welkin and Alicia, they reloaded their weapons and prepared for this. Giving the count of three, Jack then bolted out of cover with Welkin and Alicia popping up over the wall and firing upon the Germans. The Germans hunkered down a bit but kept firing, this time at the now exposed American as he raced across the bridge and to the tree. Their bullets either flew past Jack's head or struck the bridge posts and ground around him. This continued until Jack dove forward and make it behind the tree, shielding him from any further German bullets for now. Once the Germans returned to firing on Welkin and Alicia, Jack went about searching the dead German. Turning over the body so he was lying on his back, Jack looked at his belt and found what he was looking for: stick grenades.

Much like any other grenades, these were merely in a different form. The metal charge was located at the end of a long handle of wood, with a pull cord connected to a cap at the end which if unscrewed, can be pulled and set the grenade to explode. And they were just what Jack had in mind for all of this. Pulling one out from the German's belt, he unscrewed the bottom cap and then stood up to get ready for the killing blow. Eyeing the German riflemen, he waited until they were completely preoccupied with Welkin and the others. Once he was sure, he made his move.

Quickly stepping out of cover, he pulled the cord, ripping it out of the handle. And with a mighty heave, he tossed the grenade high into the air before ducking right back into cover. The grenade soared through the air, landing behind the pair of German riflemen without them noticing. The last thing they heard was the explosion, with the blue-colored blast sending them flying forward, tumbling over the sandbag wall and onto the road where they now laid motionless. With the air quiet, Jack, Alicia, and Welkin moved out of cover and began to approach the site with their weapons drawn while Isara remained with the remaining Town Watchman behind the stone wall.

Keeping their weapons aimed at the Germans, they looked to make sure that these guys weren't moving as they approached. If they were, well then a few bullets from their weapons wouldn't hurt much in taking them down. After a minute or so, the trio managed to approach where the two Germans lay upon the road. What they saw only confirmed that Jack's grenade did the damage. The back of their uniforms was torn and tattered, bloody, and even burnt from the blast. Add in the fact that they weren't moving and it became clear that these two were dead.

Lowering their weapons, the trio looked around to see if there was more. Finding none, Alicia calmly let out a breath of relief and stated "I don't see any more of them."

_**Later...** _

And now, with these scouts dead, they had to do the hard work. They gathered up the dead and lined them up on the hill. These included not only the Germans but the fallen refugees and the Townwatchman who had died early on in the skirmish. Lying them side by side, Alicia looked at them with a feeling of sorrow and a thoughtful look on her face. Meanwhile, Jack had gathered all their weapons and ammo and placed it near the bodies, figuring that they could use them later. Once he was finished, Jack joined Welkin and Isara as they stood behind Alicia.

As Alicia continued to look at the fallen, both the victim and murderers alike, the remaining Town Watchmen approached her and informed "Miss Melchiott. There's no other sign of the enemy."

It took a short while for Alicia to respond, saying "Good...now, go keep watch and stay alert."

"Yes ma'am. Um, what should we do with the bodies?" replied the Watchman, though quickly inquiring on what to do with the fallen.

"We'll bury then," plainly answered Alicia, not even looking at the Watchman.

With that, the Watchman merely nodded his head as he left to go and find a shovel for his task. For the remaining four, all of them knew what this small skirmish meant: The German army had officially crossed the border. This meant that a war between Germany and Gallia was truly happening. And if these guys were just scouts, then likely the bulk of the German Army wasn't going to be far behind. And that meant that soon, Bruhl was about to become a battlefield between the Bruhl Town Watch and the well-armed, well-trained, and well-led German military. There was no escaping it now.

"So, it's begun," quietly claimed Alicia, "I'll do whatever it takes to protect the people of this town. I'll do it. Even going to war, I'll do it."

And then, as a strong breeze began to blow, Alicia lifted her right hand and opened it. And flying off from her palm were little white seeds. Taken by the wind, they were blown up high into the air, seemingly dancing by the acts of the breeze. Flying high, they seemed to twirl and spin as they flew by the windmill. This act almost seemed mystifying to the others, who seemed quite fixated on this.

"What are those?" asked Isara.

"Seeds from the lion's paw. It blooms white. Small, simple, and strong," responded Welkin, using his knowledge of nature to answer the question.

Jack noticed that same flower blooming right next to his foot. Looking back up the seeds, now finally drifting out of view, he remarked "Gotta admit. It seems almost peaceful when you look at them fly off like that. Almost like they're free."

It was then that Alicia turned around to face the trio. And holding her balled up hand near her chest, she spoke to them in an emotional, yet calm tone "I want to be able to remember, once the war is over...that it wasn't all just people killing people. That even in war, there was also new life."

_"On the 15th day of the third month of 1935, the Empire began its assault in earnest. A formal declaration of war was made upon Gallia. Though it was only a small front in comparison to the massive continental assaults of the Great War, what followed showed that a tiny nation, and a handful of brave heroes, could best a military giant. These events will tell a story of tragedy hidden in the mists of time. A story of courage and trust, of persecution and hate. And of love blooming, even in the flames of war. What follows is a record of this conflict. And of those who fought, lived, and died._

_My name is Jack Lawrence. And this is our story." - "Jack Lawrence "On the Gallian Front"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And this is the start of my revision/remake of my "On the Gallian Front" series that I originally posted on FF.net. I am hopeful that all of this goes well. Also, just as a reference, New Berlin here is inspired by the Germania project, a renewal of the German capital of Berlin proposed by Albert Speer that would take place after WWII. It's now a majorly revamped city comparable to the Capitol from the Hunger Games books/movies. The center of Imperial power in essence. And the scene where Byzantium here makes the speech is based on the parade route that the tributes go down in the films.
> 
> Also, I reworked Byzantium's outfit in this remake, modeling it on some of Kaiser Wilhelm II's military outfits (the man had a lot) with some extra touches of my own to try and make Byzantium plainly seen as the man in power within Imperial Germany. I also for some reason think that when I do these little narration bits that are italicized here, I always somehow imagine Lieutenant Parker's voice from the game World in Conflict when I read them and try to imagine Jack doing the same at some point after this.
> 
> Lastly, I have one thing to make clear. I'm going to try and not make this all as long as my previous versions. I'm going to try and not have this be over a hundred chapters long. I will try and limit it being that of the chapters in the game though I may add interludes, as well as the reports witnessed in the game. Hopefully, though, I make this version to be a good one. I am going to be more closely writing this to the game's version, though I may add some from the anime and ova as well.
> 
> As always, leave a review on what you think of this chapter. And if you want to talk to me about this story or have a question about it, please send a PM and I will answer this as best as I can. For now, see you next time.
> 
> \- Heinkelboy05


	2. Chapter 1: In Defense of Bruhl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Alicia, Welkin, Isara, and Jack enter Bruhl and converse, they find themselves at the forefront of the Empire's military campaign.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, sorry for this taking so long. Things just got more complicated in my life as I had to take a summer course to finish my college courses, looking for a job, sending out applications, (my procrastination in general), etc. I will try and send out these chapters at a more regular rate as much as I can. Again, I apologize for the long wait.
> 
> Other than that, enjoy the chapter.

_(Note: I do not own anything. This is purely for entertainment purposes only.)_

After the events on the outskirts of Bruhl, Welkin and the others made their way into the town. The town of Bruhl was a fair-sized one, being home to about eight thousand men, women, and children. As the trio walked down the main road of the town, affectionately known as the Bruhl Road, they looked around at the sights around them. The town was mainly made up of two-story homes and buildings that were quite uniform in design. There were still people in Bruhl, though not as much as there would have been a week ago; it was a sign that there was still some life in the town. Though it would likely be different by the end of the day. As they approached the center of the town, its main landmark appeared before them: the Sister Mills.

By far the most iconic part of the town, it seemed that Bruhl itself seemed to originate here. The Sister Mills were two large and tall stone towers (with the rear one taller than the forward one) and per their name, they had two large wind propellers as well, with a massive one in between the two towers and one in front of the first, both turning on the same sail axis. Each of the propellers was painted in Gallia's national colors: blue and white. And even though windmills dotted Gallia, the one in Bruhl was by far the largest in the country, perhaps in all of Europe itself. The main tower of the Sister Mills themselves was the oldest part of the town, dating back to medieval times as the tower itself was once part of a small castle. This stemmed from the fact that the town itself was originally a hideout for a group of knights that had once rebelled against the King of Gallia some centuries past. The town eventually grew from that.

But for Welkin, Alicia, and Isara, this town was simply the home that they had grown up in, and it would always feel like home to them. And as all four of them looked up upon the massive windmill, Jack was the first to break the silence.

"That has got to be the biggest windmill I've ever seen in my entire life. And trust me, that's saying something," commented Jack, surprised by the sheer size of the windmill. Growing up in New York City, he had only ever seen pictures of windmills. And even after seeing some for the first time since he came to Gallia, they were nothing like the one before him. They pretty much paled in comparison.

"I can imagine. But for me, seeing that old mill spinning again, it really makes it feel like home sweet home," added Welkin.

"I hear that. It really is one of the most beautiful things about this town," stated Alicia, her hands on her hips as she continued to gaze upon the mill like the others, just soaking in that view. After a few more moments, she quickly turned on her heel to face the trio. And giving them a salute, she said, "Well citizens, our enemy can't be far behind. I thank you for your help. Goodbye, and take care."

With this and a small wave, Alicia then headed out and soon was out of view of the group.

"Okay, so where's your place? Can we go there now?" asked Jack, breaking the silence as he looked to Welkin for an answer.

Surprised by the sudden statement, Welkin asked, "What's the rush? Didn't you say you were tired? That you wanted to rest your feet and all?"

"Yeah, that went away when we started getting shot at by the German Army. Now that tiredness is replaced by adrenaline. And I would like to get you, your sister, and your stuff out of this town before the rest of the German Army decides to roll on in," explained Jack, detailing his reasons in his expressive way.

"It's not that far. It's on the outskirts of town, on the other side," said Isara, pointing in the direction that their house was in. The direction that it lay on, however, did little to comfort Jack.

"You mean the side of the town that's facing the direction of the German border?" inquired Jack, not liking where this was going.

"Don't worry, Jack. We'll get what we have packed inside the house and be on the road before the Germans try anything," assured Welkin, wanting to make sure his friend didn't freak out.

"But why now? Isn't the Imperial Army still limited by the treaty?" asked Isara, remembering that important detail regarding the Treaty of Versailles and bringing it into the conversation.

Of course, Welkin and Jack were well aware of what treaty she was talking about: the infamous Treaty of Versailles. The document that ended the Great War in 1919, after five years of war ravaged the world. In it, the treaty imposed heavy penalties on the Germans. Aside from small losses of territory (which in the end seemed insignificant), the major clinches in it were the reparations and disarmament clauses outlined within the document. As outlined by the treaty, the Germans were forced to pay the victors billions for war reparations, more than they could have paid at the time, so they had to do it slowly and over a while. And as for the military restrictions, the terms were even harsher for the Empire. Overall, the Imperial German Army, the _Kaiserliche Armee_ , was reduced to a mere hundred thousand men, the navy was severely reduced, and the Germans were forbidden to have any heavy artillery, tanks, aircraft, etc.

To say that the Germans were upset with the terms would have been an understatement. However, they weren't in a position to truly challenge these demands back in 1919. So with reluctance, they signed the treaty and went about going along with those demands...at least, they've done so publicly. However, some people had their doubts that the Imperials would ever follow these demands for long, much less at all.

"Well you'll forgive me if I don't see the Germans willing to follow what's outlined on a piece of paper," stated Jack, "Can we move along to your house now? I'm quite curious to see how your nature-loving brother's house looks like."

Raising an eyebrow, Isara looked to Welkin and bluntly asked "You haven't told him about the house?"

"What's up with the house?" inquired Jack, curious as to what she meant by this.

"I didn't think it was all that important, Is," answered Welkin, seemingly ignoring Jack's question.

"What is up with the house?" repeated Jack, clearly wanting an answer.

"Welks, I think you should have mentioned it at least," stated Isara, ignoring Jack's question as well.

"I repeat: WHAT IS UP WITH THE HOUSE?!" stressed Jack, really wanting an answer right now.

**_Later...  
At the Gunther Residence_ **

" _THIS_ IS YOUR HOUSE?!" cried out Jack upon seeing where Welkin and Isara lived.

It wasn't a house...but a mansion. It was nicer than any of the houses he had seen when they entered Bruhl. The house was like a small nice country estate that a minor noble in Gallia would have as a summer house. The house was stationed right next to the road the trio had used to get there which led outside of Bruhl. It had a blue-tiled roof, a common trait in Gallia, and was seen as a symbol of national pride. Not only that, but there was also a good amount of grounds that immediately surrounded the estate. It was filled with nice paths, landscaping, some stone walls (and a stone archway on the path leading from the road to the front door), and all of it seemed to be well maintained. The house itself was in several sections, with one being two floors high and the other three floors high. The third section was a good-sized garage connected to the main part of the house, and judging from the size of the garage it could likely pass for a small barn. All in all, it was a very nice house. Certainly nicer than what Jack was expecting.

"You were expecting something else?" asked Isara as the trio continued down the road to the house.

"Well, I wasn't expecting an estate. I was expecting something like one of the houses in town. Not this," explained Jack, still surprised that Welkin and Isara called _this_ home. He knew their father was a famous general due to his actions in the Great War; he just never expected him to have such a nice house.

"This house has been in our family for generations. Isara and I inherited it when our father passed away," added Welkin, being his usual self despite how Jack was acting.

Turning to face Welkin, Jack asked "And you didn't think to mention any of this?"

"You don't have houses in New York City?" inquired a curious Isara.

"New York City is a _metropolis_. It has skyscrapers, tall buildings as far as the eye can see. Unless you're outside of the city, the only place to live there is in apartments. And the only green you'll find in NYC is in Central Park. This house and the grounds around it are probably bigger than my family's apartment back home," corrected Jack.

As they approached the archway entering the house, Jack simply decided to drop the topic as he was instantly reminded of why they were here: to help Isara load up their things and get out of town before the rest of the German Army decided to show up at Bruhl. With that, moving along the path that led to the front door, Welkin asked his little sister, "How's the packing coming along Is?"

"Almost done. I only need to take the everyday basics," replied Isara.

"Well, the Empire's got to be close by. Let's hit the road by sundown," noted Welkin, figuring it was only a matter of time before the rest of the German soldiers appeared at Bruhl.

"Or earlier. That works well, too," added Jack.

As Jack finished that statement, the trio saw someone exiting the Gunther house through the front door, likely to greet the trio and welcome them to the estate. Jack likely surmised she was probably a caretaker for the estate, or a nanny to take care of Welkin and Isara. Maybe both. The woman was thirty-eight years old, had short brown hair and brown eyes. She wore a yellowish shirt, brown skirt, simple shoes, and a large white apron as well as a pair of blue earrings. And from the looks of the bulge around her stomach area, this woman was in the final stages of pregnancy.

"Martha, look! Welks is here," stated Isara, getting the woman's attention.

Upon noticing Welkin and the others standing before her, and with a smile on her face, announced "Oh, welcome back, Welkies!"

The mere mention of that name, which Martha used to call Welkin when he was little caused several reactions among the trio. Welkin's expression seemed to be that of embarrassment, Isara's face seemed amused, and Jack, upon hearing that, burst into laughter. His laugh was so strong that he was forced to hunch over and put his hands on his knees to support himself as he laughed hysterically. After a minute more of laughter, Jack managed to regain his composure before looking to Welkin and saying "Oh, Welkin, that just made my day. That will _never_ not be funny!"

Welkin however simply paid no mind to Jack's comment. Rubbing the back of his head, Welkin said to Martha "You're still calling me that? Martha, I'm twenty-two years old! And more importantly, you shouldn't be running around. Aren't you due any day now?"

"Aw, a light jog won't hurt the little spud. I should know, I've already had four of them," replied Martha, rubbing her belly as she assured Welkin she would be fine.

"So this makes five huh? You and my mother would get along nicely then," noted Jack.

Welkin then gestured to Jack for Martha and said, "Martha, this is Jack, my friend from the university. He's here to help us pack up our things."

"Oh, well it's nice to meet you. Why don't you come inside? Isara and I could use some help with packing the last of our things," welcomed Martha, before heading to the door and opening it, allowing Isara and Jack inside before she went in as well.

Just as Welkin was about to enter the home right after them, he heard someone calling out his name. Turning around to see what it was, he saw it was none other than Alicia, carrying a large, brown paper bag that was full of various kinds of loaves of bread. A smile appearing on his face, Welkin said. "Oh, hello Alicia. What brings you here?"

Finally approaching Welkin, Alicia bashfully explained "I just wanted to apologize...for before. Um, here! This is for you."

It was then that Alicia handed Welkin the bag of bread, which he took within his arms. Needless to say, he wasn't expecting this, although he nonetheless was thankful for it. Welkin still felt the need to ask Alicia, "Really? These are for me?"

"I work at the bakery. Well, I did until this war started. It's where I live, too. That's preserved bread, so it's pretty hard. Heat it up before you eat it, all right? I baked it myself, so the flavor's guaranteed. Best you ever had!" stated Alicia, taking great pride in her being a baker, as well as the bread that she made.

"Thanks. Uh, do you want to come in?" asked Welkin, gesturing if Alicia wanted to come inside the Gunther home. With a simple nod, Alicia agreed and both went inside, the bag of bread still in Welkin's arms.

_**Inside the Gunther Home** _

The five of them met inside the large kitchen of the house. Isara went to work finishing the packing while Jack helped her, albeit doing so while seated down to rest his feet. Meanwhile, Welkin introduced Martha to Alicia and vice versa before explaining what had happened to him, Alicia, Jack, and Isara on the way to Bruhl. They explained their first encounter with Alicia, their arrest (and eventual release), and then their skirmish with the German scouting team. To say that Martha was impressed was an understatement.

"Arrested _and_ shot at? Hah. You've had a busy day of it, haven't you, Welkies?" stated Martha before looking to Welkin and Alicia both and adding "And what a lovely lady you are for all that adventuring. Good job, Welkies!"

It didn't take long for both the two of them to figure out that Martha thought that Alicia was Welkin's girlfriend. A bit embarrassed, Welkin spoke quickly to explain "What? Wait, no! It's not like that. Alicia just saved my skin, that's all."

"He's right, we just met. I'm not his girlfriend, just his hero. Although I'm really hoping to be his friend," added Alicia.

"Oh, Well I'm sure you will. Be good to my Welkies here, won't you?" commented Martha before walking out of the kitchen to another part of the house.

"Okay, seriously Martha. Enough with the ' _Welkies'_ already," spoke Welkin as she left, feeling he had heard enough of his childhood nickname for the day...and every day after this one.

Jack couldn't help but snicker again at the mention of Welkin's childhood nickname. Welkin paid no heed to them as something in the room caught Alicia's eye. It was a large, old portrait that was hung up on one of the kitchen walls. Given how the portrait was a bit faded, it was most likely an enlarged photograph taken some time ago. The photo showed two men standing side by side in front of an old Gallian tank from the Great War. The one on the right was an older man with what looked like brown hair, a mustache, and a beard, and wearing a Gallian general's uniform with a pair of sashes across his torso. The one on the left looked younger, wearing mechanic's overalls and a shawl with a Darcsen pattern similar to Isara's. He also had the same Darcsen hair and eye color and was carrying a wrench in his right hand.

Walking up to the portrait, Alicia asked "That's a lovely portrait. Is that General Gunther?"

Welkin walked up to her side along with Jack and Isara who noticed their interest in the portrait. Once all assembled, Welkin answered. "Yup. It was taken before I was born, but that's dad."

"So that's the famous General Belgen Gunther huh? Gallia's hero of the Great War? Must have been interesting having him as a dad, huh?" inquired Jack, almost impressed that he was Welkin's father.

"Not sure if 'interesting' is the word, but he was a good father. He was nothing but nice to me and Isara," answered Welkin honestly and humbly.

However, Alicia's attention soon seemed to be drawn to the man standing beside Belgen Gunther in the portrait. Curious, she asked "That's dad. You're a lucky guy. And who's that with him there?"

"My father, Theimer. He was an engineer. The general's tank was his creation," replied Isara, entering the conversation.

That little bit of information took a few seconds to sink in for Alicia. Once she processed it, she was more than a little confused. Looking to Isara, she asked for clarification "Wait a minute. But I thought the general was your dad."

"My birth parents died when I was a baby. The General was kind enough to take me in as his own after that," explained Isara. After that, it all became clear to Alicia. It seemed that Theimer and Belgen Gunther must have been rather good friends during the Great War. It would certainly explain why General Gunther had a Darcsen daughter. He merely adopted her as his own after the death of her parents. Perhaps a way for the general to do some good by his friend by looking out for his daughter.

Welkin then walked up to Isara, and as he wrapped an arm around her, he added "Yeah. We're not related by blood, but she's definitely my little sister."

"Well, that explains a lot. Having a Darcsen little sister isn't common around these parts of the world," noted Jack, walking back over to his chair and sitting down.

"Sorry. Was that question too personal?" asked Alicia, afraid that she touched a sore subject.

Isara merely shook her head before assuring Alicia by stating "No, I don't mind at all. I was blessed with two wonderful fathers."

"Yeah...I guess you were, huh?" said Alicia, whose mind seemed to be drifting towards something else. However, as her thoughts began to drift, she noticed something that caught her attention and brought her back to reality: the time on her watch. Taking a look at it, she became quite alert as she added, "Oh, is that really the time? I've got to get going."

"Why don't you see her off, Welks? Jack and I can take care of the rest of this on our own," suggested Isara.

"All right, I will. I'll be right back," replied Welkin as he let her go and began escorting Alicia out of the room and to where she needed to be.

As they left, Alicia shot off one last goodbye to the two. "Goodbye, Jack. See you later, Isara. Safe travels!"

A simple wave from both Jack and Isara was the last Alicia saw as she and Welkin left the house.

_**Later...** _   
_**Back in Bruhl** _

Welkin and Alicia walked away from the Gunther home and back into the center of Bruhl. As they entered, they continued passing by various members of the Bruhl Town Watch as they continued setting up whatever defenses that they could within the town. They were placing up lines of sandbags, barbed wire, or barricades in the streets with whatever they could get their hands on. Anything that they could use to try and defend Bruhl. And as they did so, Welkin continued to look around and he noticed just how...empty Bruhl seemed to be now. Normally around this time of day, the town would be bustling with people and full of life. Though now, with war looming on the horizon, many of these people had fled the town to avoid the wrath of the German Army. The people of Bruhl still remembered the day the Germans marched into Gallia back in the Great War.

"Wow, look at this. Bruhl's really becoming a ghost town," stated Welkin, as he watched another truck of refugees drive by and head out of town.

"They've been leaving for a while. Just about everyone is evacuated by now. I can't blame them. Tensions are rising with Germany," informed Alicia, sounded a bit saddened as she knew what this all meant, that war was about to come and tear her hometown apart. It was enough that she momentarily stopped walking when she was in thought. However, she managed to regain her usual chipper composure and said proudly "We'll survive. The Town Watch will guard and protect the homefront. Everyone will come back someday. They'll come back when it's safe again, right?"

"Mm-hmm," confirmed Welkin, sharing the sentiments.

"So Welkin, I'm curious, are you going to join the army like her father?" inquired Alicia. She knew that with a war on the horizon, the Gunther family would likely be needed once more. The family had a long history as being valued defenders of the country dating back to its founding, and Alicia thought that perhaps Welkin may do the same. Perhaps become a hero like his father and many others of his family before him. To her, it seemed like something that may likely happen.

"Hm. I don't think that's for me. What I'd really like to do is be a teacher," countered Welkin, revealing his aspirations.

Alicia was impressed by that statement, and inquired further "Huh? A teacher?"

Restarting the walk, Welkin further explained by saying, "Yeah. Animals, insects, flowers, and plants. They've always been my passion. I've learned a lot from nature. See, my dad, he protected this country as a general. But, it's just that I...I want to give back, in my own way. My own way, you know what I mean?"

"I think I do. You sure about it?" asked Alicia, with Welkin nodding in confirmation, causing Alicia to continue with, "Wow, that's deep. In your own way."

Alicia began to ponder that for a minute or two. But just as she was about to begin, the ground suddenly shook with several thumps as if something massive had just pounded into the earth. With that, several noticeable _booms_ were heard in the distance to the east. And it seemed that the rest of Bruhl had taken notice of it as well, as all stopped what they were doing and looked to the sky, almost expecting something to come falling their way. Suddenly, a whistling noise began to be heard throughout the air, getting seemingly louder and louder quickly.

"What was that?" inquired Alicia.

"That sound...," whispered Welkin, eyes open as he realized what that sound was.

Not two seconds after he spoke that, explosions soon rocked the Mill Plaza at the center of town, with several striking the Sister Mills. The result was the mill receiving significant damage as several other explosions hit the plaza grounds around it. These explosions that were now hitting Bruhl were being caused by incoming artillery rounds. Almost immediately, smaller explosions began occurring across Bruhl, likely from smaller artillery shells such as infantry mortars. In response to this, the Town Watch and remaining townspeople of Bruhl scrambled, running throughout the town to avoid being hit by the explosions and find some cover. Alicia and Welkin instinctively dove towards a nearby cart, crawling underneath it and lying side by side as artillery continued raining down and debris from the explosions being blasted upwards before falling to earth.

As the duo stayed under the cart, hoping that a shell didn't land on them, they looked at what was going on around them. At that moment, everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. All around, people were running to avoid the shells hitting the town. And in their haste to seek cover, some failed as several were killed by the explosions, either by the shockwaves from the blast or the shrapnel from the exploding shells sinking into their flesh, leaving bloody wounds when these people fell. The horrors of war and all of its indiscriminate brutality had come to Bruhl. All of it caused by the blind ambition of a powerful man who sought to take what he wanted. And now its people were paying the price for his machinations. After a few more minutes, the bombardment was finally over.

Once they were sure it was safe, Alicia and Welkin crawled out from underneath the cart, standing up and looking at the damage to the town. Several buildings had taken hits from the barrage, with small craters having been formed in the road and surrounding land. The greatest damage was at the Sister Mills. They had sustained a lot of damage, and they were almost unrecognizable to what they had looked like only a short time ago.

"I don't believe it...the mill," breathed out Welkin, shocked at what he was seeing. It was a bit hard to see this Bruhl icon, an icon he had seen his whole life, damaged like this.

The duo was brought back to reality by a completely new sound: the sound of distant gunshots. These gunshots were coming from the other side of Bruhl. They weren't firing repeatedly like some kind of shootout, but it was coming intermittently. As if whoever was firing was giving warning shots... or executing any wounded they came across. Soon, members of the Town Watch were rushing past the two, their preparations for this kicking in. Armed and ready, they were racing to their prepared positions around Mill Plaza and the center of the town.

Wanting an answer, Alicia managed to stop a member of the Town Watch and asked "What's going on?"

"We're moving into position around the plaza and setting up a defensive line. The Germans are likely already inside the town and moving in on us right now, ma'am," answered the Town Watchman.

"Then let's get moving. We've got to fend them off!" stated Alicia, with the Watchman nodding in confirmation before racing off to help the others.

"They must be heading to Mill Plaza. I'll help," stated Welkin.

"Thanks, Welkin. Now come on. Once we meet up with the rest of the Town Watch we can get armed and help out," said Alicia.

With that, the two of them raced forward to where the Town Watch was taking up positions. Reaching them via running up the Bruhl Road, Alicia and Welkin met up with a Town Watchman handing out weapons and ammo to any that needed them. He did the same for Welkin and Alicia, handing them a pair of bolt-action hunting rifles and ammo for both weapons. As for Alicia, he also gave her something else: makeshift grenades made by the police officers in the Town Watch. These were tin cans stuffed with gunpowder and metal bits and shards, set off by igniting a fuse attached to the can. Since the Town Watch was limited in terms of armament, using mainly civilian or police firearms, various Town Watches across Gallia created makeshift weapons to try and bolster their firepower.

Taking several of them and putting them in a satchel along with some matches, Alicia and Welkin headed over to a barricade set up by the Town Watch just left of the Bruhl Road. It was situated between two houses with a Gallian truck being used for a good position of the barricade, either due to a lack of materials or convenience. Climbing up onto the barricade, Welkin and Alicia loaded their weapons and stood alongside several other Town Watchmen as they waited for the Germans to come into view. And as they waited, they could hear runners of the Town Watch racing from position to position, relaying orders, primarily the order to not shoot until the order was given, likely to make sure they were able to take the Germans by surprise and take out a good number of them before the enemy could return fire.

Before the fighting started, Alicia whispered over to Welkin, "You and I should focus on trying to take out any officers. Breaking the chain of command should make things easier here and allow the rest of the townspeople to escape."

Welkin looked to her and gave her a nod before replying, "Alright, I got it. Let's be careful out here."

Right after Welkin spoke, a voice speaking in German echoed through the air. Suddenly everyone grew tense as all eyes looked to the horizon for any sign of the enemy troops. After several seconds which felt like an eternity, the German troops soon came into view, walking into the Mill Plaza. As they moved in, they were spreading out to cover an area this large. As they moved forward, their fingers were on their triggers and their heads on a swivel as they scanned for any enemy targets. And there were a lot of German soldiers moving towards the Town Watch; a whole platoon's worth and maybe more. Likely not their full numbers, but it was still a lot of soldiers. And they were getting closer and closer to the Town Watch positions.

Alicia and Welkin, along with the few Town Watchmen beside them at the barricade waited with breathless anticipation for the inevitable firefight that would occur once the order had been given to open fire. And once the Germans had come into range, the order was given by the runners. With that, the Town Watch opened fire on the German infantry, starting the war between Gallia and Germany right in the town of Bruhl. Several German soldiers were killed from the initial gunshots, including two killed by Alicia and Welkin, before they quickly reacted by returning fire and seeking cover.

With that, the intense drilling and training of the Germans took over and it began to show. Taking cover behind sandbags, piles of rubble, or inside the ruined buildings such as the Sister Mills, the Germans made good use of cover as they returned fire with their rifles and sub-machine guns. Despite being caught by surprise, the Germans had better weapons and training compared to the Town Watch. This allowed their gunfire to be more accurate, killing several members of the Town Watch and pinning others down, and making them unable to fire back. In one instance, the Germans pinned down several Town Watch members in a building, providing cover fire while several others rushed forward and threw stick grenades through the windows. After they exploded, the Germans busted down the front door and moved in, clearing the building room by room before moving on to clear other positions.

As for Welkin and Alicia, they continued to defend their position at the barricade, despite already having lost several fellow Town Watchmen due to German gunfire. But they had managed to take down several Germans as well, but despite their losses, the Germans seemed unfazed as more men seemed to come up and replace their fallen. And it was made even worse when they brought up some heavier firepower to help out. One of the Germans brought up an MG15 machine gun; after setting up the bipod, he opened fire on the barricade with a torrent of automatic fire. The MG15 was a light machine gun used by the Germans to provide heavy firepower to infantry units. Originally designed for German aircraft during the military buildup, it was replaced by different models before being pressed into infantry service per Byzantium's suggestion. For this, a buttstock was added along with a bipod, though keeping the aircraft sights and the seventy-five round drum magazines. With a rate of fire of a thousand rounds per minute, this made the weapon a very useful one. Now, one of them was pinning down Welkin, Alicia, and other members of the Town Watch at their barricade.

"I thought the Germans weren't supposed to have this kind of shit!" cried out one of the Town Watchmen as he clung behind the barricade.

"Tell that to them!" responded another, keeping her head down as the bullets whizzed past above her head.

Welkin peeked over the top of the barricade, though just enough for him to see yet not be targeted, and saw several Germans approaching to seemingly use their grenades on them while their comrade pinned the Town Watch down with machine gun fire. They had to take out the Imperials before they got close enough to use their grenades. Looking over to Alicia, Welkin had her hand him one of her makeshift grenades while she grabbed one of the matches. Once both have what they needed, Alicia lit the match and put the flame to the fuse. Once it was lit, Welkin quickly threw it towards the advancing German troops. It flew through the air and landed near the center of the German troops, which didn't go unnoticed. At first, the Germans did nothing, until they noticed the lit fuse, indicating it was an explosive.

A single German soldier shouting _"Scheiße"_ was all that was heard before the grenade went off. The blast wasn't that damaging, but the metal shrapnel was, tearing into the bodies of the German troops and causing many grievous injuries. Though several were killed, one of them managed to survive. However, this German soldier was hit pretty badly with shrapnel. His uniform was now torn and bloody, one of his hands was almost torn off from the shrapnel, and he was screaming out in pain. Acting quickly, two of his comrades moved in to help him. While the female German soldier grabbed her wounded comrade by his battered tunic and began dragging him back, leaving a bloody line on the ground where she dragged him, the other soldier gave her covering fire from his MP-40 sub-machine gun. She managed to get her comrade to cover, but a shot from one of the Town Watchmen killed the Imperial who was giving them covering fire.

Meanwhile, Welkin, Alicia, and the others at the barricade were still pinned down by the machine gun. But that was going to be the least of their worries. Because at that moment, they heard a rumbling as if something big was coming. At the truck that made up the left of the barricade, one of the two Town Watchmen positioned there asked "What's that?"

His counterpart, who judging from his age lived through the Great War, recognized that sound and as he peeked over, answered "Sounds like a tank."

And true to his words, busting its way through a ruined stone wall was a German Panzer of the revitalized armored corps. This specific tank was a Panzer III Ausf.N, a medium tank with a grey paint job, an iron cross emblem on it, and a battery of anti-infantry weapons. Armed with a short-barreled 75mm howitzer; along with two MG15 machine guns (one mounted in the hull and one coaxial in the turret), it was a dangerous threat to lightly armed infantry like the Bruhl Town Watch. To add to this, the Panzer commander, in his black uniform, radio headset, and black officer's cap, was standing through the open cupola with a mounted MG42 as extra firepower. The MG42 was given the nickname of _"Byzantium's Buzzsaw"_ by the German soldiers due to the noise it made due to its high rate of fifteen hundred rounds per minute. Add into the fact that it had fifty millimeters of armored plating on all sides, this meant that nothing the Town Watch possessed would even put a dent in that armor, much less take out the Panzer.

The Panzer III moved down the road and into Mill Plaza before coming to a stop. The commander gave an order to his crew with his radio headset, which caused the turret to turn and the gun to line up with the same truck the two Town Watchmen were hiding behind. Then the Panzer Commander shouted _"Feuer!"_

Not a second after that, the main cannon of the Panzer III fired a high explosive shell that flew towards the truck. It exploded once they reached the truck, demolishing it and sending it flying back, with the explosion killing the two Town Watchmen as well. The Panzer then moved forward, with the tank commander returning fire on the enemy with his mounted machine gun while directing where for the tank to fire. In a short period, they fired on three more Town Watch positions, destroying them and the Watchmen defending them. This in turn allowed the German infantry to advance and cover the tank. In an instant, the Town Watch's chances of holding Bruhl had dropped to no chance at all. Having fallen back after the barricade was breached, Welkin and Alicia hid behind the corner of a building as they watched the tank help clear a path for the Germans.

"This isn't good. We're not equipped to take out a tank," stated Welkin, seeing how grim the situation is.

Alicia then added "I hate to say it but we should probably pull out for now. We should get off this road and into one of the alleys east of here. It's too narrow for a tank to follow. And let's try to time it right. Once blast from that turret, and it's over."

With that in mind, the two then kept an eye on the German tank, waiting till after it had fired and the tank crew having to reload before moving. Once the Panzer III fired its payload, the two of them broke cover and sprinted as fast as they could across the street to the other side, dodging bullets fired by the German infantry. Several bullets whizzed by their heads, some seemingly on millimeters from hitting them. However, the two managed to make it across before moving towards the alley where they hid behind a house to catch their breaths.

"Whew, looks like we shook them. What are you doing from here?" asked Welkin, managing to catch his breath.

"If they're rolling in the tanks, there's not much the Town Watch can do. We'll likely try to buy time so everyone can get away safely. The Chief will have us dig in our heels at the main gate and do whatever we can to stall them. Though I doubt we'll be able to do much against that tank," explained Alicia. She knew that nothing the Town Watch did would be enough for them to hold off against the Germans at this rate. But at the very least, they could stall the Germans just enough so that the remaining townspeople could get away from the fighting. Hopefully, just hopefully, they would be able to succeed.

"Okay. I'll head back to my house and grab Isara and Martha, then come back. Hopefully, the Imperials haven't gotten there yet," stated Welkin."

Alicia then asked, "And if they have?"

"Then I hope Jack can keep them safe. He's the only one there with a gun," said Welkin as he handed his rifle back to Alicia. Alicia opened her mouth to speak, likely to tell Welkin he'll need this but Welkin cut her off by revealing "I'm out of ammo for this. And something tells me the Town Watch is going to need this more than me."

With a nod, Alicia said, "Alright, just...be careful Welkin."

"You too," said Welkin. With that, Welkin raced back to his house, sticking to the alleys to avoid gun battles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> German to English Translations
> 
> 1\. "Scheiße" - Shit
> 
> 2\. "Feuer!" - Fire
> 
> Alright, and that was the second chapter. As a note, I'll be trying to use specific models of vehicles for this story to paint a clear picture of what they look like, are armed with, and other such information. For example, the Panzer III Ausf.N was the last of the Panzer III models made and it was armed for anti-infantry duties, hence the short-barreled howitzer and machine guns. Also, I have some friends who look over these chapters and help me with proofreading so that here I won't have to worry about all of this. It will at the very least to allow me to not have as many spelling or grammar errors in my chapters.
> 
> Also, the German uniform used in this story is the model M43, the kind of German uniform you usually see in the latter portions of the war, helping portray the German soldiers you’re used to seeing.
> 
> Also, preparing to publish some other stories alongside my "On the Gallian Front" story. I've come up a few stories for several different series and am willing to write and publish them, though only a few as not to get overwhelmed by all the work with multiple stories and all.
> 
> As always, leave a review on what you think of this chapter. And if you want to talk to me about this story or have a question about it, please send a PM and I will answer this as best as I can. For now, see you next time.
> 
> \- Heinkelboy05


	3. Chapter 2: Escape from Bruhl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the initial skirmish, Welkin rushes to help Isara, Jack, and Martha out of the house before the Germans arrive, finding something that may help them escape. Meanwhile, Alicia and the Town Watch continue to defend Bruhl against the Imperial forces.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all, it's been way too long since I've uploaded a chapter here. My fault on that factor, and I apologize for that. I will try to be better at publishing these chapters quicker...even though I probably said that a lot of times before. I just really need to get better at this, for all of my stories.

_(Note: I do not own anything. This is purely for entertainment purposes only.)_

As the German attack on Bruhl continued, and the Town Watch fell back in the face of a German tank, Welkin had managed to sneak his way out of the town and was racing back to his house as fast as his legs could carry him. He hoped to God that the Germans hadn't reached his house and that those who were still there were okay. The last thing that Welkin wanted was for them to be in danger.

"Isara, Martha, Jack, please be okay," panted Welkin in between his deep breaths due to how long he had been running.

But just as he was about to reach the property, Welkin suddenly stopped in his tracks upon hearing a single gunshot ring out through the air. Hearing it caused Welkin's heart to sink, and his mind to assume the worst had happened. It was clear that there was someone inside, and it was clear that they were armed. The Germans had reached the house and were now inside with Isara, Jack, and Martha. For Welkin, the best-case scenario was that the gunshot came from Jack and he managed to take out whoever was inside. Worst-case scenario...the Germans were the ones to open fire. Welkin knew that he had to arm himself and try to fight back; he frantically searched around him to quickly find a weapon. Soon, Welkin's eye turned towards a white fence post on the estate's grounds.

Inside the house, the situation wasn't much better. Isara, Martha, and Jack had heard the artillery strike on Bruhl and began to quickly pack up what remained to try and get out. However, before they had managed to finish, a trio of armed Germans knocked down the front door and entered the estate. Jack had been knocked down onto the wall by a German soldier and was forced to remain in place courtesy of a German rifle pointed directly at him. Meanwhile, Isara and Martha faced down another German soldier armed with an MP 40, while the third German, an officer, rummaged through Jack's satchel. The German officer bore the accessories and rank insignia of a Lieutenant (known in German as a _Leutnant_ ), wearing a peaked cap on his head and arming himself with a Luger pistol and a sword at his belt.

Isara knelt next to Martha, on the ground on all fours, and seemingly suffering a good amount of pain if the amount of panting and groaning was any indication. Isara seemed genuinely concerned for her, and wanted to know that she was okay. The German officer, however, was not concerned in the slightest. "What's her problem? She pregnant, or just fat?"

"Who cares? Not going to make any difference once she's dead, _Leutnant_ ," said the German with the MP-40 as Isara shot them both a cold glare for his lieutenant's previous comment.

"Stop this now," demanded Isara as she stood back up to face them.

"I don't think these guys are willing to listen, kid," warned Jack, causing the German rifleman to grab him by his jacket and pull him back up on his feet. He then put the muzzle of his weapon to Jack's head to keep him quiet.

Isara's defiance held no sway against the Germans, the soldier aiming the MP-40 simply letting out a chuckle. "You are in no position to demand anything from us, Darcsen."

"Well, look at what we have here?" said the officer as he pulled out from Jack's satchel: his Colt 1911 and passport. Putting the Colt down onto the table, the officer took a look at the passport and read a few lines of it, stating "Well, it looks like we have an American with us as well. You're a long way from home, Yankee."

"Says the man who's invading a country that isn't his. And all on the orders of some guy who thinks himself a god just because he has a crown on his head," stated Jack, fully intent on mocking them. This resulted in the German rifleman grabbing him once again and tossing him in the general direction of Isara. Now the two stood side by side as the two German soldiers now lined up, weapons still pointed at the duo.

"I'd be careful saying that Yank. Because right now you and your dark-hair friend here are going to suffer a very unfortunate fate," stated the officer with a sneer. "Your friend here, we will send back to the fatherland, spending the rest of her existence serving her betters. As for you, we'll just shoot you. Call you, 'collateral damage'. Or I could just shoot you both and be done with it. Either way...your remaining time left on this earth is about to be very unpleasant."

The two soldiers continued to aim their weapons, only waiting for their commander's word to open fire and cut down Jack and Isara with several well-placed shots. However, before they could do anything, the kitchen door suddenly flew open, Welkin barged right in, the white fence post from outside in hand.

"Isara!" yelled out Welkin, with the action immediately catching the attention of everyone present in the room, with all reacting quickly to this new development.

"Hold it right there!" shouted one of the German soldiers.

However, it was too late for him to do anything. Acting instinctively, Welkin moved to the closest German soldier, the one wielding the MP-40, and swung the fence post at him. The blow knocked down the German and rendered him unconscious. At the same time, Jack seized the opportunity and tackled the other German soldier to the ground. The fall caused the soldier to lose his rifle, allowing Jack to proceed to punch the soldier repeatedly until he too was knocked out. The officer, however, quickly worked to pull out his Luger pistol. Managing to do so, he aimed at Welkin and prepared to pull the trigger. Suddenly, a gunshot sounded through the air.

Welkin was frozen, almost expecting to feel the bullet tearing into them. But strangely, he felt nothing. He doubted that the German officer missed him at this close range, so the gunshot had to come from someone. Welkin got his answer when the German officer then collapsed forward, landing on the ground, flat on his face. In his back was a single gunshot wound, with blood coming out of it. Welkin then instinctively looked to Isara, who was holding a small hunting rifle that she grabbed from the crate that was behind her. Welkin's best guess was that she knew that it was there and loaded when the Germans barged inside but didn't pull it out until she was certain that she would be able to use it and not get killed.

"Isara, Jack! You guys okay?" asked a concerned Welkin as he put down the fence post.

"A little banged up, but we're okay. Martha on the other hand...," explained Jack as he got back up on his feet before gesturing to Martha, her situation not improved.

Isara knelt before Martha again as Jack and Welkin huddled around. Taking a quick look at Martha, Isara surmised "This isn't good. She's going into labor. Moving her would be dangerous."

"Well, we can't stay here. We need to move before the rest of the German Army shows up," informed Jack before looking to Welkin and asking "How bad is it in Bruhl?"

"Bad. There are a lot of Imperials out there. They've practically overrun the Mill Plaza. It's only a matter of time before they take the town, and getting past their tank won't be easy," summed up Welkin, explaining their situation.

"Tank? The Germans have a tank?" questioned Jack. He was hoping that he had heard Welkin wrong, though he probably knew deep down that he heard him right.

"Yeah. It's just one but it has the Town Watch on the run," answered Welkin.

"Oh, that's just great. We got a pregnant lady we have to move, and a town being overrun by armed goons with a tank who will shoot us the minute they see us. How are we supposed to get past all that? Ask them nicely to let us through?" complained Jack, not liking their odds on survival one bit. They needed a way out of this mess, and they needed to do so quickly. However, for what they had now, they would need a bulletproof truck or a tank of their own. Unfortunately, they had neither of those at the moment.

However, it was then that Isara had an epiphany. Looking to Welkin, she revealed "Welks, listen, the barn out back, our fathers left us something. Something that might get us out of this mess."

_**Later...** _

Taking Jack and Welkin outside of the Gunther house, Isara led them over to the front entrance to the barn, right next to the road that ran past the Gunther residence. Approaching the large barn doors, Isara took the lock on them and fiddled with it for a little while before finally unlocking it. Jack and Welkin didn't know what in the barn could help them get past a small army of armed German soldiers and a tank. At best, Jack figured that aside from a tank of their own, an armored truck would be about the closest thing that could in the barn for them to use. However, he expected the only thing to be in that barn would either be some kind of car or a lot of stuff in a lot of boxes. Welkin on the other hand simply had no idea what Isara had in there that could help. All he knew was that it was something left for them by Belgen and Theimer. Instead, when Isara opened the barn doors, they were shocked to find what was inside: a tank.

It was painted mainly blue, with the gun mantle painted white and several areas of the chassis bearing red highlights. It was unlike any tank most people had ever seen before. It was a large vehicle; and given the dimensions, one might have called it a medium tank that was almost bordering on being a heavy tank. It had a set of wide treads with a finely designed and superbly maintained suspension system featuring a pair of drive sprockets at the front of the tank and six road wheels on each side. The vehicle had curved frontal armor to provide added protection from incoming shells, and a viewing port for the driver. Although Welkin and Jack couldn't see the engine in the rear, they could only imagine how big it must have been to power a monster of a vehicle such as this.

Meanwhile, the turret was large enough to house the weapons of this tank. Its primary weapon was a long-barreled, 88mm cannon with a coaxial .50 cal machine gun to tackle a wide range of targets. There were several hatches for the crew to enter and exit, with two being in front of the turret for the driver and other crewmen, a commander's cupola for the tank commander, and a rear hatch for the turret that could also serve to load ammunition. There was also a radio mast extending skyward at the back of the turret with a small Gallian flag flying from the top. Hanging along the sides of the turret and near the treads were a series of satchels for storing extra equipment. Finally, there was also an insignia on both sides of the tank, depicting a particular white flower that gave the vehicle its name: the Edelweiss.

"Dad's tank!" cried Welkin, surprised to see his father's tank here.

"You have a tank in your garage?" questioned Jack, who was surprised to even see a tank in Welkin's garage.

Welkin, however, seemed to ignore Jack's comment as he added in awe "Whoa, I can't believe it's still here."

"And it's one-of-a-kind," noted Isara.

"I'm sorry, but can someone fill in the blanks for me here? How is it you two have a tank in your garage? I don't even have a car here in Gallia, yet you people have a tank?!" questioned Jack, still trying to wrap his head around all of this. He expected something more mundane in the garage such as a sedan. A tank was simply out of the question.

"This is the _Edelweiss_. It's the tank that my father, Theimer, built for General Gunther before the Great War ended," briefly explained Isara.

Jack merely turned to face Isara before saying in disbelief, "This thing is from the Great War? Because I've seen tanks from that time and I definitely _don't_ remember seeing one that looks like _that_."

"The _Edelweiss_ never saw service. But my father still worked on the tank. It was one of the last things that he had finished before he passed away. Even back then, this tank was advanced by the standards of the Great War," further explained Isara. She was indeed correct that by Great War standards, it was undoubtedly advanced for its time. However, the main issues that prevented the Edelweiss from seeing action were that the war ended before the _Edelweiss_ could be deployed and that its complicated construction rendered it difficult to mass-produce.

"So it's just been parked here in the barn all this time?" inquired Welkin, curious as to how long it's been in the garage, and possibly wondering how long Isara knew about it.

"I've been working on it. I've adjusted some things, performing maintenance, and adding a few enhancements of my own. I wanted to make sure that it would still operate, you know, in case of emergencies," stated Isara.

"Given the circumstances, I'd consider getting shot at by the Imperial military an emergency," added Jack, knowing they're going to need the _Edelweiss_ in this situation.

"But still, how did you learn to work on a tank, Is?" asked a curious Welkin.

"In school. I enrolled in a maintenance class given by the military. I wanted to be able to do what my father could do," answered Isara honestly.

"Like father, like daughter I suppose," noted Jack, seeing how Isara wanted to be like her late father.

Welkin then interjected with "Well that's great, but that's only a class, Isara. This is the real thing here."

"I know," stated Isara before looking to the _Edelweiss_ and explaining to the two, "It really didn't need much, hardly any alterations at all. Didn't stop me from adding a few improvements though. I just fitted it with a new 800hp turbine engine, it really improves on the power-to-weight ratio. I've also stocked it with ammo for its weapons and a full tank of ragnoline. The _Edelweiss_ is field-worthy. Its speed, firepower, armor, and mobility are more than a match for the latest tanks."

"Where did you even find the... never mind. I don't even want to _know_ where you found the ammo for this or the parts for the engines. I'm just glad that this thing can work right now," said Jack, wanting to know where Isara had managed to acquire ammunition for a tank and the engine for it...before figuring that it would probably be best if he didn't.

"Well, assuming that it does work, what's next?" asked Welkin.

Isara then looked to Welkin and asked "Welks, you took the armored vehicle course, didn't you?"

"Yeah. Back in high school...once," admitted Welkin in a sheepish tone.

"Oh, that just instills me with confidence," sarcastically commented Jack, not too thrilled by that statement.

Isara then continued with "We'll bring Martha here. She'll be safe inside the tank, and we can move to a better location."

"You want to bring a very pregnant lady who has just gone into labor inside a fifty-ton war machine? I'm not sure that's a good idea here," stated a concerned Jack, not sure if it would be safe for Martha and her baby inside the _Edelweiss_ when they rolled into a combat zone.

"It's probably safer for her in there than if we tried moving her out via a truck. At least here there's armor, so we've got protection here," stated Welkin, figuring that this was their only option.

"Just leave the driving to me, okay? All you have to do Welks, is give the orders," said Isara.

Jack then looked to Isara and asked "Wait a minute here. What do I do?"

Isara simply pointed to the tank cannon, which caused Jack to figure out quickly his role: he was going to man the main cannon of the _Edelweiss_ and use it against any German that blocked their way out of the town. Despite the excitement he may have had of firing such a large and powerful weapon, Jack wasn't trained in the concept of artillery gunnery. He knew how to use different kinds of firearms, but he had never handled something as big as a tank cannon before. Thankfully, Isara told him that she was willing to give him the basics of how to operate the cannon and coaxial machine gun on the _Edelweiss_. So with their roles assigned, the trio went to work.

As Jack and Welkin went to get Martha and help her into the tank, Isara got to work starting the _Edelweiss_ and grabbing what few items from the estate they could bring with them. She hurriedly packed them either in the bags placed on the sides of the tank's chassis and turret or within any boxes meant to be stowed in the tank's crew compartment. Isara made sure to grab only essential items and items of sentimental value, taking only as much as she could fit into the bags or the inside of the _Edelweiss_ without hampering combat effectiveness and Martha's comfort.

Once Martha was inside the _Edelweiss_ , lying on the floor of the tank with a blanket, the trio moved to their stations. Isara took control of the driver's seat and handled the _Edelweiss's_ unique vehicle controls, comprised of a steering wheel, a pair of pedals, and a stick shift. This allowed the tank driver to operate the tank as they would with any other car, making it much more effective than the steering systems of the tanks of the Great War. The tank's radio was also right beside her, allowing Isara to be able to act as the tank's radio operator as well. Jack sat in the gunner's seat and worked to familiarize himself with the controls according to Isara's instructions. Thankfully, the main cannon of the _Edelweiss_ was fitted with an automatic loading system, which eliminated the need for a loader. As such, Jack only had to flip a few switches to change what kind of ammo he used to fire the cannon, making it all much easier to use. Lastly, Welkin was seated in the commander's chair, having donned on a radio headset and mic to help issue commands better via radio if need be.

As Isara started the _Edelweiss_ , and its engine came alive with a powerful roar, Jack jumped a little bit in his chair, startled by the noise and just how loud it was. Readjusting himself in his seat, Jack mumbled to himself, "The kid wasn't kidding about the engine. It sure sounds powerful."

Opening the turret hatch and standing through the open commander's cupola, Welkin almost looked the part of a tank commander (only lacking the uniform of one). Once he was settled, he spoke, asking the others "You guys ready to roll?"

"The _Edelweiss_ is ready for deployment," responded Isara.

"Main cannon's ready to go. Just needs some Imperial assholes to point it at," added Jack, checking the sights on the gun.

"Alicia could still be out there dodging bullets, buying time for people to evacuate," informed Welkin before continuing with "Here's the plan: we're going to pick up Alicia and get out of town."

"Let's just hope that anyone from the Town Watch is still fighting. Because if they aren't, we're going to get surrounded real quickly pal," noted Jack, hoping they wouldn't be fighting the Germans all alone.

Welkin took in that information but steeled himself for what would happen next. With that in mind, he then gave the order "All right, _Edelweiss_. Move out!"

Suddenly, the tank lurched forward, heading right out of the garage. It drove out of the structure, turning sharply to the right and onto the road. Soon, the _Edelweiss_ and its occupants were on the move as the tank sped down the dirt path at 40 mph, heading straight to Bruhl, still under siege by the Imperial Army.

_**Meanwhile...** _   
_**Back in Bruhl** _

The situation had not improved in the slightest for the Town Watch. Once the Germans had brought in their tank, they began to systematically annihilate the Town Watch at every position the Gallians attempted to hold. In the face of the well-armed German infantry supported by a tank, the Town Watch was losing men at a fast rate. Soon, the remaining members of the Town Watch were falling back hard down Bruhl Road towards the main gate, the German forces hot on their heels. As they ran, the Watchmen quickly grabbed whatever cover they could find: sandbags, piles of rubble, walls, or even the nearby watchtower.

The main gate was the last major defensive position in Bruhl left for the Town Watch to hold. If they lost this, then there would be nothing to stop the Imperials from seizing complete control of the town and causing further casualties among the remaining townspeople who were still fleeing. If the Town Watch was going to succeed in anything today, they would have to hold the line until the remaining townspeople could escape from Bruhl. Which was a rather tall order considering the amount of firepower that the Germans were fielding against them. But every remaining member of the Watch knew that they had no choice. And as they readied their weapons with the last of their ammunition, they were going to have to make their shots now count.

Alicia herself took up a position at the sandbags located right nest to the main gate, with the watchtower placed right behind her. Taking count of how much ammo she had left, she took some extra cartridges and reloaded her hunting rifle before crouching down behind the sandbag wall. As she looked down the road with her gun pointed in the same direction, she and the rest of the Town Watch saw in the distance the Panzer III appear from one of the side streets before making a hard right turn on Bruhl Road, storming directly toward the main gate. As the tank advanced, German infantry appeared as well, advancing alongside the tank's sides and behind it, using both the tank and any doorway, building, or rubble pile as cover.

Once the enemy was in range, the Panzer III opened fire with all of its machine guns. The German infantry opened fire as well shortly after as they continued to push toward the gate, the Gallians returning fire however they could. Despite several Germans being cut down by the increasingly heavy gunfire, their numbers and superior training made up for these losses as their combined gunfire managed to kill even more Gallians. The Panzer III's armor was enough to ricochet any Gallian munitions as if they were pebbles being thrown at a brick wall.

As the Germans advanced, the Panzer Commander, still manning the machine gun mounted on the turret hatch, looked to some of the German soldiers advancing with him and ordered _"Flankieren sie!"_

Following that order, a platoon of German soldiers moved down a pathway around a house close to the main gate. As they moved down towards the Town Watch, the Gallians atop a watchtower alerted the others at ground level to this flanking assault; immediately, several Town Watchmen quickly peeled off from the main defensive positions to stall the Germans. The two groups opened fire on each other the minute that they came into visual range. Despite the Town Watch managing to take several out, they couldn't provide more resistance as the Germans cut them down with their firepower. With that, the Germans continued to advance, moving up the small hill; made visual contact with the main body of the Gallian defenders, and began to immediately dive for cover and open fire.

The Town Watch members near the watchtower were soon forced to split their forces between firing on the Germans coming down the road, and those coming around the house at the top of the hill. This just made the situation much worse for the Gallians as they were now being fired from two directions, and had to now divide their fire to contend with them.

That didn't mean that they were completely combat-ineffective. The Germans on the flank never realized that some Town Watchmen were hiding within the house between them and the rest of their forces. Waiting till the Germans were distracted, they soon appeared at the windows on the upper levels, opening fire on the flanking German forces below, catching them completely by surprise. Several Germans were cut down before they reacted, switching their focus towards the Gallians within the building. They then peppered the Town Watchmen with sub-machine gun and rifle fire, killing some and causing the rest to be pinned down. While their comrades kept the Gallians pinned down, several Germans took out some stick grenades and armed them before tossing them into the open windows. A few seconds later, the grenades exploded, killing any Gallians on the top floor, and sending one flying through the window where his bloody and broken body landed on the ground before rolling down the small hill.

With that threat done, the Germans regrouped and returned to their previous task of firing upon the Gallians. Meanwhile, the Panzer III had halted its progress on the road before traversing its turret towards the left by several degrees. Its short-barreled howitzer cannon soon rose to aim the watchtower next to the main gate. The pair of Town Watchmen in the tower were currently being suppressed by the Panzer commander, who fired his machine gun at them, forcing the pair to stick to cover, unaware of the danger that they were now in. Once the cannon was aimed directly at the tower, and a high-explosive shell loaded into the breached by the gun's crew, the Panzer commander gave the order _"Feuer!"_

And less than a second later, the tank's howitzer fired, with the shell making contact with the watchtower, obliterating it and the Watchmen manning it. The resulting blast sent tiny pieces of wood flying everywhere and sending the now charred, shredded, and bloody remains of the Watchmen unlucky enough to be caught in the blast flying as well, with some of their limbs flying in a different direction compared to the rest of their bodies. One of those bodies actually landed right in front of the sandbag wall that Alicia was using for cover. And as it landed, she almost jumped back in horror of what she was now seeing.

The Watchman was a burnt and bloody mess. His clothing was now in tatters, and his face was unrecognizable as the heat from the shot had burned half of it away. Parts of his left arm and right leg were missing as well, having been blown apart in the blast. And coming out of his mouth, eyes, ears, and nose, was blood, likely caused by any internal injuries caused by the concussive force of the blast that had sent him flying through the air mere moments ago. To be honest, it was not something one wanted to ever see one day, whether there was a war on or not. And the mere sight of it caused Alicia to become frozen as she just stared at the gruesome image before her.

However, she was soon snapped back to reality when the Town Watchman next to her was gunned down by the Germans. Looking back at the Imperial forces, Alicia saw that Panzer III's turret was now turning back towards them, preparing to aim its cannon at the main gate. A single shot from that cannon and the main gate would become nothing more than a pile of splinters. And there would be nothing to prevent the Germans from cutting down the remaining townspeople. From the looks of it all, the Town Watch had failed, and the Empire had won today. All they could do now was wait for the Panzer to blow away the gate and they would be finished. But just as the Panzer seemed like it was about to aim, something happened that no one present was expecting.

Coming from the other side of the main gate, the _Edelweiss_ smashed through the wooden barrier, stopping once the whole of the vehicle was alongside the remaining members of the Bruhl Town Watch. Both sides, taken aback by its sudden appearance, stopped firing as all looked to the beast of a tank that now stood before them. The Germans, not expecting any kind of enemy armored forces in Bruhl, were clearly amazed to see one judging by the surprise upon their faces. The same could be said for the Bruhl Town Watch, who weren't expecting this kind of support. But the Gallians appreciated the support nevertheless.

 _"Panzer! Feindlicher Panzer! Schießen das!"_ shouted one of the German soldiers, right before he and his comrades began firing at the _Edelweiss_ with their firearms in a vain effort to try and take it out.

Inside the _Edelweiss_ , Jack sat at the controls ready to take out his targets, with him, Welkin, and Isara looking at what they were up against.

"Well, looks like we showed up at the right time," noted Welkin, glad that they weren't too late.

"German tank dead ahead. Let's hope this toy of yours manages to cause some damage," said Jack, sighting the German Panzer III through the sights of the main cannon.

"It will don't worry. You remember what I told you what to do?" asked Isara, hoping Jack remembered her instructions on how to work the cannon.

"I think so, yeah. Loading armor-piercing ammo now," stated Jack,

"Alright. Let's go take them down," said Welkin, ready to finish this fight.

Flipping the right switches, Jack managed to activate Theimer's autoloading system. It flawlessly selected an 88mm anti-tank shell and loaded it into the breach before sealing it, ready to fire. However, the Germans acted first; the Panzer crew loaded an anti-armor shell into its howitzer cannon and fired first. The shell flew through the air, colliding with the sloped frontal armor of the _Edelweiss_. However, instead of punching through, the shell merely bounced off, barely even causing a dent. Of course, the shock from the blow caused things inside the tank to rattle a bit, along with stunning the crew inside for a few seconds.

Jack managed to withstand the impact of the German anti-armor shell as he regained the controls, looking down the sights as he aimed it right at the German tank. Hovering his foot over the firing pedal, he muttered the words "Open wide, assholes!"

Jack pushed down the pedal hard, firing the main cannon of the _Edelweiss_ , which went off with an almighty boom. The 88 mm shell flew through the air fast before colliding with the Panzer III's armor, punching through like a hot knife through butter. Once inside, the shell exploded, causing devastation to the tank and ripping a giant gash through the top of the armor. The force of the blast sent the turret of the Panzer III flying right off of the chassis, landing right behind the now flame-engulfed vehicle. The force of the explosion was enough to kill any German soldier lucky to be standing close to it, either being killed by shrapnel or knocked into the walls of nearby buildings with crushing force. The rest of the Germans on the Bruhl main road were wither knocked back or simply retreated, with the loss of their tank causing their morale to break rather quickly.

Jack let out a cry of success, before claiming "Oh, that felt good! Look at the bastards run!"

"It's not over yet. Jack, take out the soldiers on the hill, force them back," informed Welkin, bringing Jack back onto the task at hand.

Traversing the turret right, he took aim at the German soldiers that were firing potshots at the _Edelweiss_ from the flank. Switching over to anti-infantry weaponry, Jack pushed the pedal, activating the .50 caliber coaxial machine gun once he had the Germans in his sight. The large-caliber rounds quickly began tearing apart any unlucky enough to be caught in the line of fire. The res either ducked down to the ground to try and avoid the bullets or had run away by now. Those that remained quickly decided to follow their colleagues, crawling back down the hill before getting up and running as fast as they could once they were out of the line of fire.

With the Germans now gone, the _Edelweiss_ ceased firing its weapons. Seeing the Germans run away, the remaining Town Watchmen rose from cover and let out a cheer. It was a sight for sore eyes to see the Empire's soldiers run away with their tails between their legs. They pumped their fists and their weapons into the air as they yelled out insults to the retreating Germans.

Once the danger had passed, Welkin opened up the commander's hatch and climbed out of the tank. Alicia noticed him and walked over to _Edelweiss_ as Welkin was climbing down the side of it. As Welkin reached the ground, he approached Alicia, and glad to see that she was okay, informed her "Alicia! Sorry that we were late."

"Welkin! You have a tank?" cried Alicia, surprised to see that Welkin had brought in a tank to help.

"Yeah. It's a bit of a long story. I'm just glad we managed to push them back, if only for a little while," explained Welkin.

Alicia, not wanting to press the subject, simply acknowledged what Welkin said before admitting "Well, it looks like you're my hero now Welkin."

"The Imperials are backing off for now. We've managed to buy ourselves some time at least. Probably enough for us and the rest of the townspeople to getaway. It might be a good idea to pull out now," suggested Welkin, with Alicia nodding in agreement.

Just as she did that, they heard a scream coming from the inside of the _Edelweiss_. Quickly turning their heads around, they saw Jack scrambling up through the commander's hatch. When he was standing through it, he quickly acquired Welkin and Alicia and proceeded to tell them "Uh, it looks like Martha's kid really wants to come into the world right now."

"She's giving birth in my dad's tank?" asked a surprised Welkin.

"I could tell her to try and hold it in but I don't think that's a possibility at the moment," sarcastically commented Jack before becoming serious, continuing with "And I hate to remind you of this, but I'm pretty sure the Germans are calling for help right now to deal with us. So can we please get out of here before we have the whole German army coming down on our heads?"

Welkin didn't need to reply as he climbed back onto the _Edelweiss_ to take command, while Alicia and the Town Watch grabbed their wounded and filed in, passing through the gate to get out of Bruhl. Once they were all out, Welkin had Isara put the tank in reverse, following them out of the town. With that, the Battle of Bruhl came to an end.

_**Later...** _   
_**Outside of Bruhl** _

_"Two hours after the first shots were fired, Bruhl was under Imperial control. Though a mere skirmish by German standards, the raid on Bruhl would mark Welkin Gunther's first taste of battle, and begin his rise to a Gallian hero."_

By now, it was sunset, and Bruhl was now under the control of the German war machine. The Empire had brought in additional troops to secure the town and allow for further convoys to pass through and drive deeper into Gallia. For Welkin and the others, they managed to put a fair amount of distance between them and Bruhl, seeking refuge in a small grouping of trees and bushes, which provided them decent cover to hide the _Edelweiss_ and themselves from anyone on the ground and in the air. From their position, they could see plumes of thick black smoke billowing up towards the sky, a sign of the damage caused by the battle. Up in the sky, flights of German bombers could be seen, leaving streaks in the sky where they had flown. It wouldn't be long until the Germans began sending armored convoys past them to continue their advance into Gallia.

While Jack and Isara were with the _Edelweiss_ , making sure that it wasn't seen by any nosey Imperials, Welkin walked over to the edge of the trees and brush to where Alicia was. Hoping she was okay, Welkin looked to see Alicia staring at a still burning Bruhl, her fists balled up and her eyes beginning to water up. She then opened up, revealing "I thought I would be ready for this. I knew war meant this might happen. It hurts, seeing my hometown overrun like this...seeing all those people killed...it's just not right. How could all this happen? It isn't human Welkin."

As she raised her hand to wipe the tears now streaking down her cheeks, Welkin wrapped his arm around her shoulders in an attempt to console her. Looking up the sky, where he could see some birds flying through the air, he looked to Alicia, telling her "We look at those birds and see how wild and free they are, but they all have their own territories. If anything threatens their home, they'll risk their lives to defend it. People are animals too. We do what we have to when we have to. Animals are in a constant struggle to stay alive, but I've also seen them help each other, almost like they were cooperating in order to survive."

Raising her head up to look at Welkin, she simply asked Welkin "Cooperating?"

With a nod, Welkin let his arm down, Welkin and Alicia turned their gaze back to Bruhl, where Welkin further explaining "That's why I'm so into studying natural science. That coexistence, I want to know how it works. If we could figure that out, mankind could put it to use for our own survival. That's why I want to be a teacher, so I can pass that knowledge on to the children. I mean, even if we can't eliminate war, at least we might learn to live together as one people."

It seemed that Welkin's words seemed to have an impact on Alicia, with a small smile appearing on her lips as she and Welkin continued to stand side by side. The two continued to stand there, together, until they heard Isara's voice calling them out.

"Welks, look," she said, causing Welkin and Alicia to look behind them, where they saw Jack and Isara approaching. And in Isara's arms was Martha's new baby, all wrapped up and snug as a bug. Martha managed to deliver a healthy baby boy, with no complications. While the little guy didn't have a name yet, what he did have was a healthy set of lungs, crying just about the whole ride out of Bruhl. Though now he seems rather quiet. One thing that was sure was Jack's comment that he wasn't going to be the one cleaning up the inside of the _Edelweiss_ after all of this.

"The little guy wants to say hello to the guys who kept him safe," joked Jack.

"Martha fell asleep, so that makes me and Jack the babysitters," added Isara.

Once they made it to Alicia and Welkin, they got their first look at the baby. He was a cute little guy, with his brown eyes wide open as he curiously looked at the world around him, and with a small patch of hair on his head. It was enough for Alicia to simply tickle him under the chin while cooing "Aw, he's adorable."

"Just like you said. Even in war, new life happens all around us," said Welkin, reminding Alicia of her own words. He then took the baby into his arms and faced Bruhl, making sure he could see it. With the others standing beside him, Welkin gestured over to Bruhl and told Martha's baby "Look, that's your hometown."

As the four of them (five if you counted the baby) looked at Bruhl, Alicia said confidently "Someday, we'll come back."

"Yes, someday soon. I know it," said Welkin in agreement. One day they would return to Bruhl.

They would return and take it back from those that had seized it from them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> German to English Translations
> 
> 1\. "Leutnant" - Lieutenant
> 
> 2\. "Flankieren sie!" - Flank them!
> 
> 3\. "Feuer!" - Fire!
> 
> 4\. "Panzer! Feindlicher Panzer! Schießen das!" - Tank! Enemy tank! Shoot it!
> 
> Sorry for the long wait, my new job started and things have been rather hectic for me. I will try and do better. Also, as a note, I changed Byzantium's name to Byzantium von Britannien, basically a more German-esque version of his zi Britannia name I have previously been using. Basically now it's a reference to the series I have it inspired from instead of just outright taking it from there. Other than that, will also be working to post the chapters for my other stories as soon as possible. Hopefully, I will be able to post them quicker than usual.
> 
> As always, leave a review on what you think of this chapter. And if you want to talk to me about this story or have a question about it, please send a PM and I will answer this as best as I can. For now, see you next time.
> 
> \- Heinkelboy05


	4. Interlude: The Road to Randgriz

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Welkin and the others head to Randgriz, they encounter a convoy that comes under attack by the Imperial Luftwaffe. Meanwhile, in New Berlin, Byzantium and his generals convene to oversee the progress of the war.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone. Just a heads up as this is an interlude, set between the chapters of the story. I will add some of these here and there to help add additional content and perspectives into this version of the war, from the views of both Gallians and Germans (at least the named characters for each side), and how it all relates to the plot and perhaps what is going on in the world in relation. I will not try to add so much that this story is so long and going to be in separate editions just to cover the events of this war, as I had originally planned for the last version. Other than that, I hope you enjoy this chapter.
> 
> Also, sorry for how long this took to write. My life has been a bit hectic with the virus, the long hours for my new job (had to work twelve-hour shifts for the Christmas rush. I am glad that it's now over), helping my family around the house, and just ending up procrastinating in general. I have adopted a new writing regimen to try and get my chapters out faster. Every day (weekdays mostly), I will write at least 500 words a day, and I hope that over time, this will allow me to update my stories more frequently than usual. Though since I have just started a new job, my schedule will be swamped somewhat during the holidays (though again glad that it's over, and I won't have to worry about it until next holiday season).
> 
> Also, an update that comes along with this chapter is some information about what is going on within the story. In the spirit of replaying the VC games over the holidays, I have taken some information and such from the settings and placed it here, in this new chapter, and updated the information in several previous chapters accordingly. Here, I have changed some information regarding Russia on the info page, as well as added a kind of Second Europan War which occurs on the same day as the Gallian invasion and will be explained further here.
> 
> Other than that, you may now read and enjoy the chapter.

_(Note: I do not own anything. This is purely for entertainment purposes only.)_

_"After we had escaped Bruhl, we decided to move away from the border as fast as we could, making for the capital city of Randgriz with all haste. The day we left, we managed to catch up to the evacuation convoy that left Bruhl, dropping Martha and her newborn baby boy off with the rest of her family before parting ways. Traveling at night to avoid German air patrols and resting during the day. Despite all of the risks, we managed to make good progress._

_On the last day of our trek, we were passing by a village and we noticed next to the road the wreckage of a crashed plane. A plane that had Gallian markings. It was smoldering, full of bullet holes, with one of the wings smashed to pieces, and what looked like dried blood stained upon the cockpit glass. I think that's when it hit the others: Gallia had been invaded, and things were never going to be the same again."_

**_Four Days Later_ **   
**_On the main road to the Capital_ **

The German invasion of Gallia had been going on for five days now. And for the past four days, Welkin, Alicia, Isara, and Jack rode in the _Edelweiss_ as they tried to make it to the relative safety of Randgriz as fast as they could travel. According to Isara, it was the final leg of their journey and they would likely reach the capital by dusk. Thus, they decided to risk it and move in the day for this part of the journey. Thankfully, they had managed to arrive there ahead of the German army, an army that was making steady progress across the front lines as more and more of Gallia fell before the treads and boots of the Imperial Army.

Every day as they continued towards Randgriz, riding in the relative safety of the _Edelweiss_ , Jack would tune the radio inside the tank to various news stations to find out how the war was progressing. However, their radio connection was iffy at best, sometimes going in and out. Thankfully, today they managed to actually gain a steady link and finally hear some news as to what was going on so far in the war. And since Jack already knew the frequency that was used by the BBC and GBS, he turned on the latter to hear the news from the first. And every day, the news was the same: bad. Today, the BBC radio broadcast continued that streak of bad news. And from the sound of it, Gallia wasn't the only one feeling the invasion. It was part of a global assault taking place by Germany and its allies. Another Great War had begun, and it was going to be even more destructive and bloody than the last one.

_**"It is now the fifth day of what is being called the Second World War. Our reporters in the field can confirm that the German military, supposedly held long in check by the Treaty of Versailles, is no longer the case. There are reports of modern tanks, aircraft, and ships of the Imperial military fighting within the battlefields now raging in multiple theaters. We can further confirm reports of heavy fighting across multiple theaters and pitched battles now taking place between Imperial and opposition forces.** _

_**Officials in the members of the Atlantic Federation, America, Russia, and numerous other nations have publically denounced the invasion as aggressive and unprovoked. Telegrams have been sent to the Imperial government by ambassadors within the city, calling upon the Reichstag and Kaiser Byzantium to cease hostilities and withdraw their forces immediately. No reply has been heard from New Berlin, as the ambassadors within the city had been forcibly removed and expelled from the country after sending the telegrams, being sent back to Great Britain by boat. We can only assume-"** _

"The ambassadors are likely going to have as much luck getting the Germans to stop blowing up the world as we are," commented Jack, having turned off the radio and providing his own commentary to finish the sentence.

The others knew he was telling the truth, as blunt as he was. Given all of the bad news that they were hearing, it looked like the Germans weren't going to halt their invasions anytime soon. Not when they seemed to be gaining the upper hand, especially in Gallia. After all, there was only so much that the Gallian military could do to hold back the Germans, especially considering that they were now up against an enemy that had revitalized their armed forces after their defeat n the last war. But still, Gallians were never known for giving up easily. Thousands were likely flocking to join the military in response to this invasion. Gallia wasn't going to fall without a fight. And with Germany now engaged in a much broader war, it meant that it couldn't bring its full strength to bear against not just Gallia, but the world as well.

"At least we're still fighting. As long as we fight, there's a chance," said Alicia, not wanting to admit defeat. Especially after having already lost Bruhl.

"Maybe. But we can't win this war alone. The Germans have more people, industry, and resources to call upon. Tiny nations don't normally fare well on their own when fighting giants," retorted Welkin, pointing out Gallia's chances of survival if they fight _alone_.

"You think America or the Federation may get involved? Send troops our way?" questioned Isara.

"Unlikely," grumbled Jack, leaning into his seat next to Isara, "They're going to have their hands full just fighting off the German forces sent against them. And a lot of my countrymen think that European problems are simply _European_ problems. They'll send supplies, weapons, and the like to help out those fighting the war. But they won't send soldiers to fight it unless Byzantium picks a fight with the US. Hate to say this guys but it looks like Gallia really is on its own."

This was not news that the group wanted to hear, no matter how true or disheartening it was to hear. For now, all that they could do was trust in themselves and that somehow, the Gallian military would be able to turn this around in their favor. A rather large endeavor in itself, given the odds now stacked against it. They were brought of that thought when Isara checked the gauges in front of her and saw that the _Edelweiss_ needed to be refueled again if they were going to make it to Randgriz. They only had a few full cans of fuel left so they had to hope that it was enough.

Isara maneuvered the _Edelweiss_ towards the side of the road, over to where there was a patch of trees. Moving the tank under the cover of the leaves, she maneuvered the tank to move inside. Once safely under the canopy, she shut off the tank once the tank was facing the road, ready to get out and back on the road once refueled. This time, it was Welkin and Jack's turn to refuel the _Edelweiss_ , with Alicia and Isara having each done it last time. Opening their respective hatches in the commander's cupola and the front hatch next to the driver's, Jack and Welkin climbed out of the _Edelweiss_.

Heading over to the back of the tank, Jack went to grab the remaining fuel cans while Welkin went over to the fuel cap at the rear, behind the turret, and placed right over where the engine was. Removing the cap, Welkin moved aside for Jack to begin pouring in the ragnoline into the gas tank. As Jack was pouring, he looked over to Welkin and asked "So, what are you gonna do? Go join the Militia like Alicia?"

"Probably. I can't ignore what happened in Bruhl. Now that the war's on, Gallia needs all the help it can get to fight," replied Welkin. While Welkin himself never saw himself as a military man, he was smart enough to know that this was a fight he couldn't run away from. He had to fight. And he figured that this is something his father would have wanted him to do in this situation.

"Another Gunther in the armed forces. That should scare the Germans," joked Jack, finishing the first can and moving on to the next can of ragnoline.

"And what about you? What's next for you?" inquired Welkin, curious what Jack was going to do next now that there was a war on.

Jack, once he was finished dumping the ragnoline into the tank, tossed the empty can to the side before looking to Welkin and answering "I don't know. I doubt I can stay here. Maybe I'll go to the US embassy in Randgriz...if it's still open. There I can try and arrange for a way back home to the states. Far from Gallia, the war, and the German army."

"You could stay you know. The Militia does accept foreign volunteers, well to a degree at least. You're good with a gun, Jack. We could use someone like you in this fight," pointed out Welkin. He had seen Jack's skill with guns before, even before Bruhl when he spotted Jack at a firing range in Randgriz. Welkin noted that Jack was a good shot, with a pistol and a rifle. While not sniper material, he was still a good enough shot that he could be useful when war came, as it has now for Gallia.

Jack, however, had different thoughts on the matter. Thoughts that he made clear to Welkin when he told him "Welkin, I get that you want to fight for your homeland. I do. I would do the same if the Kaiser came knocking on America's doorstep. But this...this isn't _my_ war. I have no stake in this. I mean, maybe I could join you guys, fight in this war, but winning against Germany is long odds, especially if you fight by yourself. This isn't the era of black powder muskets and cannons anymore. These guys have tanks, planes, and God knows what else in their arsenal. And I mean, sure, you guys have the same. But which side has more of them: Gallia or the Empire?"

Welkin wasn't sure how to answer the question. Jack was right in that regard. The Germans had clearly been preparing for this invasion for quite some time now, given just how much they've crippled the Gallian military and their steady gains each day. While Welkin knew that his people were tenacious and have historically resisted every invasion that has occurred against them, beating back nearly every one of them by using their natural defenses and stubborn defiance to turn the tide in their favor, he knew that wasn't enough. It certainly wasn't enough in 1795.

In that year, while Europe was busy dealing with a France that was in the throes of revolution, Imperial Germany launched an invasion of Gallia. Unlike previous attempts, the Germans succeeded in conquering Gallia, turning it into another conquered kingdom that they incorporated within their empire. It was the only time that Gallia had been conquered, and it endured German occupation for forty-five years until they were finally given their independence in 1830 after having to fight their own revolution against Germany. The effects of the occupation were something that Welkin's people didn't forget easily, and they wanted to make sure not to allow the Empire to rule over them again.

Before they could continue the conversation, a peculiar sound in the air drew their attention. A sound that they recognized as the engine noise of vehicles, and that the sound was coming from the Western end of the road they were on. Jumping off from the _Edelweiss_ , Welkin and Jack walked out from under the protection of the trees and over to the side of the main road, looking westward for any sign of vehicles coming from that direction. Since the noise was coming from the west instead of east, that meant that there weren't any German vehicles coming down the road. Instead, the vehicles coming down the road were definitely Gallian, likely troops and vehicles heading towards the front lines.

Their thoughts were confirmed as appearing over a ridge was a convoy of Gallian vehicles, all painted in their blue and white colors, sporting Gallian crests and flags as well to identify themselves. In the lead was a Jeep, an American made vehicle built for the US military, exporting it to many of its allies such as the Atlantic Federation and even Gallia. It was mainly used as a staff car, a scouting vehicle, and a light support vehicle when armed with a machine gun. There were several people in the vehicle, though neither Welkin nor Jack could make out who given how far out they were.

Behind the jeep came several Gallian Light Tanks, the main armored vehicle used by the Gallian Regulars and Militia. It was a light tank that was designed to be mass-produced, mobile, and pack a punch despite its size. Its main armament was a short-barreled seventy-five-millimeter cannon, along with a single Gallian Maxim machine gun, placed on a coaxial mount next to the main cannon. For this, it was crewed by a total of about three people: a commander, a crewman who acts as both a gunner and a loader, and a driver who also worked to operate the radio placed next to him. And it was designed to be easily modified, able to take on a range of different armaments such as flamethrowers, dual machine guns, and even tank howitzers that fire high explosive shells to fit the role that would be needed on the battlefield.

However, while it was mobile and could pack a punch, the tank did have some drawbacks. One was that the armor, at only an inch thick, was thin enough that it could be easily penetrated by modern cannons such as those on the German Panzers. The other drawback was that for the main cannon, due to its barrel being shorter than those of the Germans, this meant the cannon didn't have the same range or hitting power as its German counterparts. In fact, the only way that it could likely punch through the frontal armor of German tanks was only if it fired at the right distance and hits the tank in the right spot. That is, assuming that they could get that close without being seen or hit by German anti-tank weapons.

Behind the Gallian Light Tanks were a better model of tanks more capable than the former. These were M4 Sherman Tanks. Much like the jeeps, these were made and produced for the US military, but also supplied to America's allies. This particular models of the Sherman that the Gallians had in this convoy was the newest version that was replacing previous versions of the Sherman swiftly. This model was known as the Sherman "Minute" tank, a reference to the Minutemen of the American Revolution. It came with a host of upgrades in terms of armor, suspension, and a more powerful engine. Gallia bought a number of them to help bolster their tank forces, getting to work in making these American vehicles more Gallian. They painted the weapons in Gallian colors and emblems and modified the armaments to give them Gallian made cannons and machine guns.

Sherman tanks were usually armed with a coaxial and hull-mounted machine gun, along with either a 75mm or 76mm main cannon, depending on the variant. The two main variants for the Sherman were the standard M4 and the M4A2 Sherman, armed with a 75mm and 76mm cannon respectively. Both of these were supplied to the Gallians, making Gallian copies of these guns and replacing the American machine guns with Gallian Maxims. Also, they placed an American M2 Browning machine gun on a pintle mount next to the commander's cupola, allowing for some extra firepower against infantry and enemy aircraft. Both variants were seen used by the Gallians here in this convoy.

Lastly, behind the tanks were a series of Gallian trucks, complete with tall canvas coverings over the end of each vehicle. These vehicles were likely carrying some supplies but mostly infantry, and some were even towing pieces of artillery behind them such as anti-tank cannons or light artillery meant to support the troops in the field. The convoy just seemed to get larger and larger as more vehicles appeared over the ridge, each one following the others down the road. Eventually, it totaled to two jeeps (one in the front and one in the rear, both armed with Gallian Maxim machine guns), eight Gallian Light Tanks, two Gallian M4 Shermans, two M4A2 Shermans, and about eighteen trucks. This made it a total of over thirty-two vehicles. And all of them were heading to the front, though unknowingly were about to pass by the _Edelweiss_ and its passengers.

That was all about to change now that Welkin and Jack were standing on the side of the road. Instinctively, Jack raised his left hand as he stood by the edge of the road, hailing the approaching convoy, alerting them to the duo's presence. Welkin looked at him and seemed like he was about to ask why Jack was doing this, but before he uttered a single word, he simply let it go, deciding to see how this went. Surprisingly, the Gallian convoy began to slow down as the jeep came to a stop beside the two young men. The tanks and trucks of the convoy came to a halt one by one respectably until the entire convoy came to a halt.

Jack lowered his hand before looking at the three men in the jeep before asking "Excuse me, gents. But is this the road to Randgriz?"

However, the question would fall on deaf ears. The soldiers in the jeep noticed the _Edelweiss_ hiding under the trees and among the bushes. Almost immediately, the Gallian soldier manning the machine gun took aim at the duo as a matter of caution while the two lead tanks aimed toward the _Edelweiss_ as well. In response, Jack and Welkin ended up raising their hands as if surrender, not wanting the soldiers to shoot them. The driver of the jeep gestured for them to come over, and the duo did as they were told. After all, it wasn't like they had much of a choice.

As Jack and the soldiers approached, Welkin took a look at the uniforms of the soldiers. Given the design and look of it, it was clear that these soldiers, along with the rest that made up the convoy were members of the Gallian Regular Army (otherwise officially known as the Gallian Royal Army) instead of the Militia. Both the Militia and the Regular Army had distinct uniforms to distinguish each other and their status within the Gallian military hierarchy. For the Gallian Regulars, their uniforms were made to look more distinct and more impressive given their role as the main fighting force of the Gallian military.

The tunics were a dark blue shade, with two white lines running vertically down the front and gold embroidery in several areas. Their shoulders, collars, and patches on the front of the tunic, right below the shoulders were used to designate to place their ranks, with what is seen here showing all three were simply just clear foot soldiers. The lower half of their sleeves, from the elbow down, were colored black with the addition of a white chevron design and with gold thread embroidered to separate the cuff and tunic colors. The men wore pants while the women wore either shorts and skirts. Both were the same black as the cuffs, with the same gold embroidery in the tunic. Along with that, each of the soldiers wore dark brown leather boots and gloves, along with armor covering their knees, colored black with a vertical stripe down the middle. On their upper back, just below the collar, there was a section of the uniform where it was colored black, and a symbol etched into it in gold. The symbols were used to distinguish what class of infantry each soldier in the Gallian Army was classified as. As a final touch, the soldiers wore a gold-colored ascot around their necks, as well as a Gallian military helmet on their heads.

All in all, they sure looked impressive, though having a nice uniform didn't make one an effective soldier. For many Gallians within the Army, this was their baptism of fire. And much like it was in the Great War, there were likely many who would see this war as their grand adventure, a chance to prove themselves. And like how it was in the last war, many of them were going to perish before it was over.

"Woah. Calm down, guys. We aren't Germans," assured Welkin once they approached, already having deja vu about his first meeting with Alicia.

"Oh yeah? Then how do you explain the tank? Because that's not one of ours," questioned the soldier seated in the passenger's seat.

"Um, that's ours," said Jack, not sure how these guys would react to that.

Just when the Regular was about to talk back, they heard the sound of footsteps, indicating that someone approaching them. The person in question seemed to be the officer in charge of the convoy. The officer was a woman, the same age as Welkin, though slightly shorter in height. The woman had emerald green eyes, a fair complexion (though with some freckles on her cheeks and nose), lips covered in red lipstick, and a fine body with a buxom chest. She had long black hair which she had tied into a french braid and wore a pair of simple yet elegant sapphire earrings. All in all, she seemed like a woman who could turn men's heads no matter where she was.

She wore the dark blue tunic and black skirt of a Gallian Regular, along with wearing the armored plates on her knees for protection, though the markings on her uniform showed she was First Lieutenant. There were some other notable distinctions to her uniform, such as her wearing a peaked officer's cap, colored the same dark blue as her uniform. Her gloves were fingerless ones, to allow her to use her weapons better in combat, and her boots were more form-fitting, covering up part of her black leggings that concealed her legs. As for weapons, holstered on the right side of her belt was a revolver, and on the left side of her belt was a sheathed officer's sword. Both were considered the weapons of officers, especially aristocratic ones throughout Europe, which indicated this young woman was an aristocrat herself.

"What's going on up here? Why did you three stop the convoy?" asked the young Lieutenant, wanting to know why they had halted their progress towards the front.

"Um, sorry Lieutenant. We were hailed to stop by these two men here. They're claiming to be refugees heading towards Randgriz," replied one of the soldiers.

Looking to Welkin and Jack, the young officer took one look at them and noticed that they had no packs on them to show they were refugees. Then she noticed the _Edelweiss_. Curious, she asked her soldier "And the tank?"

"They say that it's theirs," he answered.

Gesturing to Welkin, Jack added, "It came from his garage."

"The tank was in his garage?" asked the woman, almost in disbelief.

"You see? No one else in this country but you happens to have a fifty-ton war machine in his garage," said Jack, looking at Welkin with an 'I told you so' look upon his face.

Welkin ignored it and tried to explain the situation to the woman by saying "We traveled here all the way from Bruhl, that tank is the reason that we managed to make it this far. It allowed us to evacuate the town before the Germans could conquer it all."

"You'll forgive me if I don't believe that someone from the border towns can have one of our tanks. And that doesn't look like any tank we have in the military," countered the woman.

"Would it help if I mention that my companion here is Welkin Gunther?" brought up Jack, thinking that bit of info could help.

And it seemed like it did, the woman took a good look at Welkin, then the _Edelweiss_ , and back to Welkin. Pondering for a few moments, she then pointed to him and asked "You're General Belgen Gunther's kid aren't you?"

"I am, yes," confirmed Welkin, lowering his arms along with Jack.

"That explains it. I heard reports that the Germans had some trouble in Bruhl. But I didn't think that their problems involved a Gunther and a tank. I apologize for all of this, but everyone's on alert because of the invasion," apologized the woman, as she looked to her men and gave the order "Stand down everyone. No danger here."

With those words, the tanks turned their turrets away from the _Edelweiss_ while the gunner on the jeep lowered his weapon. As they did that, Welkin noticed Alicia and Isara walking towards them, likely curious where he and Welkin were and why they were gone for so long.

"Welkin, what's going on?" asked Isara, once she and Alicia met up with them.

"I take it that this is the rest of your group?" asked the Lieutenant.

"It is," answered Welkin, before finally realizing "Oh, sorry. I kind of forgot to ask for your name."

"Isabella. My name is Isabella. I'm a Lieutenant in the Gallian Army," answered the young Lieutenant, identifying herself before extending her hand for a handshake which Welkin reciprocated.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Isabella," said Welkin before letting go of her hand.

"I have to say, I never expected to run into the son of a war hero all the way out here," said Isabella, crossing her arms as she looked at the group.

"Trust me, you get used to him. By the way, since no one seems to care, I'm Jack, this is Alicia and Isara," added Jack, introducing himself and the others.

Now it was Alicia's turn to speak, saying "As much as I'd like to stay here and listen to Jack joke the day away, we need to get going to Randgriz, Welkin. And they likely need to get going to the front."

Welkin simply gave a nod to Alicia's words before saying "I suppose so."

However, right as he finished, a strange sound began filling the air. It started low but it began to grow louder and louder with each passing second. Everyone by now had noticed and looked to where the sound was coming from: up in the sky. At first, the group could see nothing amidst the blue sky and the occasional cloud that littered their view. But soon, four black specks appeared, coming through a cloud and heading straight for the convoy. These specks were planes, there was no question about it. The only question was whether they were Gallian or German planes.

"Uh, are those your planes? Please tell me those belong to you guys," inquired Jack, not liking the look of this.

"If those were Gallian planes, then why are they flying west? The Germans are coming from the east," noted Isara.

"She's right. Something's off here," added Welkin, squinting his eyes to try and get a better look at the planes. And as the planes, and their siren song, got closer and closer, he could just make out the gull-like wings of these planes, and their green paint. And it was clear...these were Imperial planes, and they were coming straight that them. And soon, it became even more clear when the first two detached what looked like bombs from their bellies, with the last two planes behind them, doing the same.

"Incoming!" cried Alicia, as she, Isara, Jack, Welkin, and Isabella raced off the road to avoid the bomb blasts. Hitting the dirt, they covered their heads as the bombs struck the surface, one by one. Three of the bombs struck hard, each either destroying or knocking out one of the Gallian Light Tanks, with the last one missing its target, exploding near one of the Shermans. It did not damage the tank, but the blast likely rattled the crew inside. Once the bombs had exploded, the planes pulled out of their dive, gaining altitude and distance from the convoy, but not finished with it yet.

_"Ju 87's. That was their official designation. The dive bombers of the German air force. But to us who fought them, we came to call these planes 'Stukas'. They were a terrible bane for us in the skies of Gallia. They would dive down upon convoys, fortresses, or even a collection of infantrymen, hitting any target that presented itself to them and their weapons. When they dove towards the ground, the sound that they made echoes through the air, as if some kind of siren song that was meant to either drive one insane or make them run for their very lives. In the early days of the invasion, the Stukas and their pilots preyed upon the convoys of troops heading towards the front, and the columns of refugees fleeing to safety. And with the Germans now controlling the skies, no one was safe from them...as we found out that day."_

"Everyone out! Out of the trucks now!" ordered Isabella, getting back up and yelling at the top of her lungs. She knew that if her men stayed on the road for much longer, they would be easy targets for these German planes. They needed to scatter, and quickly. Otherwise, they would be torn to pieces.

The order was soon spread down the line. Soon, the remaining tanks were rolling off the road, looking for cover, while the troops rushed to get off of the trucks before the planes came around for another pass at them. Once the troops were unloaded, the Gallian trucks began to try and maneuver off the road. Though due to how tightly packed they were in line, it was taking a good deal of time and difficulty to get this done. And time was something that the Gallians didn't have much of.

"They're coming back!" yelled Isara, pointing towards the four Stukas, who were now up high again, and diving once more towards the convoy, the shrill sound of their siren dives ringing through the air once more.

"Open fire! Cut them down!" ordered Isabella, instructing the machine gunners on her jeep, as well as those using the M2 Brownings on her Shermans, to train them on the diving Stukas in an attempt to bring them down before they could cause more damage on the convoy.

Soon, streams of tracers flew upwards towards the Stukas, with the machine gunners, and eventually the now dismounted infantry, trained their weapons and fired them at the diving Stukas, sending a hail of bullets upward towards the sky. While the streams of tracers flew around the Stukas, they continued on their path towards the convoy, with the pilots remaining unflinching in the face of enemy fire. Soon, each of the Stukas dropped a series of four smaller bombs, two under each wing, before pulling back up towards the skies once more. The bombs spread out over a wider area, causing smaller explosions centered around a group of trucks. By the time that the blasts were over the dust had settled, several of those trucks were damaged or set ablaze by the bombs.

By now, the Stukas were coming around, this time for a third pass against the convoy. And despite the Gallians now firing whatever they had against the Stukas, they couldn't seem to succeed in bringing them down. Some of their shots managed to score a few hits on the wings and fuselage. But none of the damage was major enough to bring down a whole plane, much less four.

"That's not good. They're coming back!" said a worried Alicia. She and the others were currently seeking cover in one of the ditches on the side of the road. So far they had managed to avoid much of the bombing runs, but they weren't sure for how long that would last.

"Seriously? They're coming back again?!" asked Jack, watching the planes come back towards them.

At this point, he was wondering just what these pilots had left on their planes that they could use against the convoy now that they had dropped all of their bombs. Both big and small. He got his answer when the Stukas opened fire with the pair of machine guns mounted on their wings. Soon, 7.92-millimeter tracer rounds from all four of the Stukas streaked towards the convoy, burying themselves into the ground, the burning vehicles, and any unfortunate Gallian Regular that was in the path of where the bullets were flying. Once the Stukas flew over the convoy, the four planes then began flying upwards at a steep angle, itching to get back up high above the clouds. Even as the Gallians continued to try and take them down with a few bursts from their machine guns. After a minute or two, they returned to being black specs in the distance. And a few seconds later, they flew into a cloud, completely disappearing from view.

Once they were gone, the Gallians stood down on Isabella's orders. Now that the threat was over, it was time for them to count their dead and the damage done to the convoy. As the group climbed their way out of the ditch, dusting the dirt from their clothes, they looked around and saw the damage those four planes had inflicted upon the Gallian forces. And it wasn't a pretty picture. Several tanks and trucks were now nothing more than flaming wrecks. Utterly useless to the Gallians anymore except as potential scrap material to be melted down and reused if possible. The Gallian Regulars had also lost several men. Aside from the crews of the Gallian tanks and drivers for the trucks that were destroyed, about a dozen Regulars were lying dead upon the field, victims of the Stuka's final run on the convoy. All in all, it wasn't a total loss to the convoy, but it was still a significant loss altogether.

"So much death. Just like in Bruhl," muttered Alicia, looking at the scope of the destruction. In a way, all of this reminded her of Bruhl and the destruction that the German Army caused to the town as it drove out the Town Watch.

"It's been like this all across the front. And several convoys have been hit by the Germans on their way to the front. It's almost neverending, the number of times the Germans send in their planes to bomb us into submission," commented Isabella, as she walked over to the group, checking to see if they were okay.

"Don't we have planes of our own? Can't they help stop some of these attacks?" inquired Isara. In her mind, it was the role of the Gallian Royal Air Corps, the GRAC for short, to deal with the German Luftwaffe. It didn't seem likely that the Empire would be able to launch these many air attacks without any kind of response.

"Most of our planes were taken out when they were still on the ground. In the first hours of this war, the GRAC suddenly found itself with a lot of pilots but with few planes. What planes we have left now are spread thin trying to hold back the tide. The Navy got hit pretty badly too. German submarines sunk a number of our ships while they were docked, and those that remain are stuck there while the Germans blockade the coast with their own fleet. The British Navy is engaging them in skirmishes but from the looks of it, our navy and air force are essentially crippled," explained Isabella, pointing out the dire situation for two of Gallia's military branches.

"So the Germans now control the skies and the seas?" summed up Welkin.

"So basically it leaves them the ability to pound just about anything in their way to rubble. I'd say that things can get worse, but honestly, I don't know how that's possible," added Jack, not liking what Isabella had told them.

"Well, for now, I need to get things sorted here. I'll round up my wounded, have a detail take the dead back to Randgriz, and take what's leftover to the front," summed up Isabella, before looking to Welkin and extending her hand to him before adding "I hope we see each other again. Though hopefully under more pleasant circumstances."

Welkin grabbed her hand shook it, replying "Same here. Good luck out there."

"Thanks. I'm going to need it," she said, letting go of Welkin's hand. She then turned around and walked over to her men, instantly barking orders to her men to gather the dead, check the wounded, and get ready to move back out as soon as possible. With that, Welkin and the others walked back to the _Edelweiss_ , intent on continuing their journey to Randgriz. Hopefully, they wouldn't run into any more German dive bombers along the way. Because once was enough for them today.

_**Meanwhile...** _   
_**In New Berlin** _

In New Berlin, the city was already abuzz with the war. Much had changed within the city in the past five days since the Kaiser's declaration of war. A sense of total war, similar to how it was back in World War I, but only to a certain degree, had fallen over the city. Newsboys were hawking the headlines of newspapers, with the front pages all reporting about the progress of the war, long lines of fresh eager faces stood outside of recruitment centers, citizens were donating scrap materials at various locations to help the military create what they need, families were buying war bonds, and at the train stations each day there were families were saying goodbye to their loved ones as their sons and daughters headed off to the front lines.

So far, all was calm as news from the front indicated that the Imperial military was making good progress, scoring some major victories against its opponents. So much so that Byzantium was giving a speech about the events today in front of a gaggle of reporters to address the overall progress of the war.

And today, he was having his speech within the press room of the Imperial Palace. The Imperial Palace was considered to be the center of power for the Empire, housing Byzantium and the rest of the House von Britannien, the rulers of Imperial Germany. It was located directly in the middle of New Berlin, and from the size, it was easily the largest structure within the city, dwarfing any other building that existed in New Berlin. The palace was a large and towering structure, and the design itself was almost reminiscent of a fortress. One that could seemingly withstand any siege at the time it was built. It was an impressive sight, and its presence stood as a testament to the power of the Imperial Family.

In one of the many rooms, Byzantium stood in front of a podium, with the wall behind him having the flag of Imperial Germany draped over it to provide a backdrop. Flanking him were two armed German soldiers to provide him security for this speech as a whole slew of reporters stood several feet away in front of Byzantium with pads and pencils and flash cameras, eager to get the Kaiser's words and pictures for their articles. Along with the reporters, there was a small three-man film crew recording this via a camera to produce for a newsreel, and the microphones Byzantium was speaking into was being broadcasted live via radio. One of the many benefits of being the monarch in the modern world, their words could now be heard in different media other than being printed in a newspaper or pamphlet.

**"To all citizens of the Empire, both in Europe and our colonies overseas, I speak to you now with important developments happening now on the front lines. As I speak, our military forces, and those of our allies, have made excellent progress on several fronts. Many towns, regions, and cities have been captured and our forces continue to fight with high spirits. Despite encountering stubborn resistance from our adversaries, this development was to be expected. I have assurances from my chief military officials that our brave men and women on the front lines shall be victorious.**

**As a veteran of both the First World War and the Troubles that followed, I will personally assure you that we shall emerge from this conflict victoriously. We are now better prepared, better armed, and better led than we were in the last war. Our enemies hoped to avoid war and sue for peace, while we grew stronger. And their inaction shall cost them. As I led us to victory in the civil war, I shall lead you to victory here. This time we shall not surrender, we shall not concede. We shall endure, we shall triumph, and we shall prosper in the peace that will follow.**

**The Americans, the Russians, the Federation, all will crumble before us. And when they fall, all that remains in the world will bow before out might! Our victory shall bring a new era for this world. Gone are the days of our humiliation and cowering in the aftermath of Versailles. When we have won this war, a new age of Imperial dominion and influence over this world shall begin. Our darkest days will be far behind us, and our glorious future that I have long envisioned for our nation is just beyond the horizon.**

**Long live sacred Germany! Long live the Empire! May it reign forever!"**

This was followed by applause from the reporters and a series of bright flashes from their cameras that lasted about a few seconds. Now that his short speech was over, the time had come to at least answer a few questions from the press. Picking a few protestors from the room, he pointed to a female reporter who asked him "Your Majesty, what is the status on our allies? Do we have any in this war?"

"We have several allies in this war, that is true. Their goals and ours are aligned, which makes our alliances with them one of common interest if not one with a common enemy to face," skillfully answered Byzantium, using his grace and skill in choosing the correct words, with the reporter eagerly writing what the Kaiser said.

Another reporter soon inquired "Your Majesty, won't the conversion to a total war economy affect the people drastically?"

"For that, I would recommend speaking to the Reich Economics Ministry on the matter. I am many things, but I am not a money expert," replied Byzantium, which caused some of the reporters to let out light chuckles in response.

"Your Majesty, any word from your generals about the progress on our front with the French? Will France's defensive fortifications be a problem?" asked another reporter.

He was about to go and answer the question when a royal aide silently entered through a side door and walked over to the Kaiser. Leaning in close he whispered something into Byzantium's ear. Whatever it was, it was likely something important, as Byzantium's expression changed slightly, only noticeable if one paid very close attention to it. When the aide stepped back, Byzantium took a moment to process this information before looking at the crowd and politely addressing "Excuse me, but a matter has come up which requires my attention. Any further questions can be answered by my press secretary. Thank you for your time."

As Byzantium left, escorted by the soldiers, the press suddenly bombarded him with questions, trying to get him to at least answer one of them before he left. But it was all in vain as the Kaiser walked out the main door, with his men opening the doors for him as he left and closing it behind him once he left the room. After traveling down a corridor, at the end was an individual who was clearly waiting for them. The man was wearing a well-made military uniform adorned with medals and all the elaborate trimmings and additions associated with a high ranking military officer. The man wearing it was a man of forty-four years, with a short military haircut and a weathered look on his face indicating a lifelong career as a military man.

Seeing his Kaiser approach, the man immediately straightened his posture and gave a salute to him as he curtly announced "Your Grace."

"No need to stand on military formalities Rommel. We've known each other too long for you to do that every time I enter the room," replied Byzantium with a smile as he extended his hand to Erwin Rommel, his _Reichsmarschall_ and favorite military officer among those in his staff.

Rommel warmly received the handshake before explaining "Military training has drilled that kind of response into me I'm afraid. And given your position as Emperor, it's what the protocols tell me to do: to salute you whenever you make an appearance."

"Perhaps then I should rewrite the rules," joked Byzantium, gesturing for them to head to the war room, which they did. Along the way, Byzantium added "Still, I appreciate you sending the aide to pull me out of there. At times, I feel like I've had enough of all these press meetings."

"Which is why I stayed in the military. I prefer drawing up battle plans to writing up statements to an aggressive bunch of journalists any day," mentioned Rommel.

Byzantium let out a chuckle as he commented "Spoken like the true-born Prussian that you are. And speaking of battle plans, let's go and see how the war fairs for us this day."

With that, the two entered the war room of the Imperial Palace. It's a large and spacious room, which, as the title suggested, was to be used by the reigning Emperor and his military officials to plan and execute their campaigns and initiatives during wartime. In the middle was a large table covered with various maps of Europe, Gallia, and other areas of the world where Imperial Forces were currently engaged. Each map was covered with markings and pieces to detail the movements and positions of both the German and opposition forces. Meanwhile, various other military personnel were stationed all over the room, manning radios to coordinate efforts, drawing up hypothetical scenarios for future offensives or proposals to be brought before the heads of the Imperial military branches for approval.

Around the main table within the war room were the other three heads of the Imperial military, all of which answered directly to Byzantium and Rommel. Heinz Guderian, Karl Donitz, and Baron Manfred von Richthofen, the men who were the heads of the army, navy, and air force respectively, were some of the most powerful military officials within the Empire. And with Byzantium and Rommel at the head, these five men were the ones in charge of orchestrating the entire war effort for Imperial Germany. And today was going to be yet another meeting in what would likely be a long and protracted war.

"Alright gentlemen, it's time to get to business. Guderian, what's the status here in Europe?" ordered Byzantium once he reached the war table, wanting an update on the war effort.

"Good news for us. Our Blitzkrieg tactics appear to be working quite effectively. More so than we originally hoped we would. We've managed to gain a good amount of ground on multiple fronts," informed Guderian, seemingly brimming with pride over the details.

Rommel then decided to inform Byzantium of the current status on the fronts, stating in Europe. He said "With Romania and Bulgaria's help, we are pushing deep into the Balkans. Serbia is likely to not last much longer, and we believe their surrender to be forthcoming within the week. Meanwhile, Franco has begun his uprising against the socialist government in Madrid. Mussolini has done the same in Italy. Both these men have seized control of Spain and Itay's colonies overseas, but Franco has only control of the part of Spain closest to Africa and the northwestern corner of Spain, just north of Portugal. Meanwhile, Mussolini's supporters have taken control of Northern Italy. With support from our forces, they're moving southward, though encountering some problems from Italian forces loyal to the King."

"As expected. What about France?" questioned Byzantium.

"We've run into difficulties there. It appears France's Maginot Line is far more formidable than we originally believed. Our assaults have borne little success in punching through it. But then again the French seem more than content to remain behind the line so we aren't expecting counterattacks along the French border," answered Guderian, taking a pointer and outlining their problematic assaults on the Maginot Line.

As Byzantium pinched his brow, the name of France's defensive line swirled in his brain, which currently was causing a small headache in his skull. The Maginot Line was a formidable series of fortifications that the French constructed after the First World War. It was intended to be the main form of defense against a potential Imperial invasion, and France spent a lot of time and money to make it seemingly impenetrable against any assault. And from what Guderian just said, it looks like it was actually living up to its purpose. If they were going to move their troops into France and take the fight there, then they had to find some way to punch on through the French defenses.

"Is there any success we're having on the front with France?" asked Byzantium, hoping for some good news.

"My pilots are managing to bomb targets past the Maginot Line. We haven't struck Paris yet, but we have attacked several French bases, cities, and forts. Though we have had to contend with French planes in these raids," informed Richthofen.

Looking to his Air Force commander, Byzantium questioned further "And your casualties?"

"We've lost some planes. France has lost about the same amount, so we're even in that regard. As to their casualties from the bombing, we haven't received intel on that yet. But I'm confident my men did their job well in that regard," explained Richthofen, taking a seat as he explained further. From the smirk upon his face, it was clear he had some kind of pride in the effectiveness of his pilots. And he was confident that it was enough to help carry them throughout the rest of the war.

Byzantium merely let out a breath and simply inquired "And what news comes from Gallia?"

"Good news there, unsurprisingly. Maximillian's forces have crippled the Gallians. Its air force and navy have been crippled, thus leaving the army and the militia as the only real force opposing us there. And given how we now control the coast and the skies, it should only be a matter of time before we break their resistance," answered Rommel, highlighting Maximilian's successes thus far.

Listening to the news, it seemed to intrigue Byzantium. To him, it seemed that perhaps Maximilian was useful for something after all. And in his mind, the Kaiser noted that if Maximilian was successful in taking Gallia, then they could use it as a staging ground to push into France, flanking the Maginot Line completely. Gallia's defeat could perhaps open the gateway to the Empire's conquest of Western Europe.

"Very well then. And on other fronts?" wondered Byzantium, wanting to expand the talks here to the other fronts of the war.

"My ships have engaged in skirmishes against the British navy near the coast of Gallia and within the North Sea. We've damaged some ships and vice versa in these engagements, but it'll only be a matter of time before we engage them in a major naval battle. I've sent a detachment of them to our territories in the Caribbean and Suriname to help reinforce our troops there. However, given the amount of French and British forces pouring into the area, as well as the gauntlet of British and French ships sent to patrol the Atlantic, it is unlikely we can hold these lands for long," said Donitz, going over his naval developments and their forces in their colonial possessions within the Americas.

Byzantium merely waved off that concern, stating "We will come back to these lands one day. And their loss is a minor one at most. We have bigger fish to catch before we can turn our attention back to the Americas. Meanwhile Donitz, I want you to have your ships seeking out British vessels and sink as many of them as you can. The fewer ships the Royal Navy has, the easier it will be to strike their islands."

"By your command, Your Grace," responded Donitz, giving a slight bow to his Emperor.

"The fighting there has also caused a bit of a complication. The Foreign Ministry received a telegram from the American State Department. Due to our actions threatening American interests and security in the region, President Roosevelt and the American Congress have declared war upon us," warned Rommel.

Byzantium however, seemed unconcerned about this development, stating "It was likely going to happen one way or another. Little can be done about it now other than to prepare and face the Americans. Now, what of the fronts in Africa and Asia?"

"We've also begun launching attacks on Federation colonies in Africa and Asia, using our own as bases for the assaults. Our Italian allies are doing the same from their own colonies. Franco is asking us to help him seize control of Spain first before he can help us on the African front. Lastly, on that note, Japan has agreed to the terms of your alliance with them. As per the arrangement, they have renewed their assault on China, striking at several port cities and moving into the mainland from their territory in Manchuria. They've also prepared for possible incursions into neighboring Mongolia. That will keep the Russian's attention focused on them until we are in place to launch our assault," added Guderian, informing the Kaiser of the last bit of news happening on the few remaining fronts in this war.

"Well, then I suppose that all so far is going to plan, aside from a few hiccups here and there. This is good work, all of you. You're dismissed for now. Return to your duties and continue organizing the troops. This war has only just begun," summed up Byzantium, ending the meeting. With that, Guderian, Richthofen, and Donitz gave their salute and walked away, leaving the war room. Byzantium expected to remain alone, however, he noticed Rommel stayed behind, with a look of concern on his face. And Byzantium knew that whenever Rommel had that look, it usually meant he knew something that bothered him. Turning away from the table to face the Reichsmarschall, Byzantium asked bluntly "What is it now?"

Rommel merely sighed before speaking "Three days ago, I received a report on my desk. It was a message from the commander of the troops tasked with taking the Gallian border town of Bruhl. The town fell easily, perhaps the first one our troops captured in this war. However, some of the troops noted something there that caught my attention: mention of a unique Gallian tank that appeared near the end of the skirmish."

"A single tank has you worried?" asked Byzantium, clearly not seeing the problem here.

"Not just any tank. It's unlike any that our spies have noted to be in the Gallian Armed Forces. From the troop's description, it has sloped frontal armor, is both fast and maneuverable, and the cannon was powerful enough to take out one of our Panzers with one shot," elaborated Rommel, explaining just why this troubled him.

And it seemed that Byzantium felt the same, rubbing his chin in thought, before saying "Interesting. Any ideas on the origin of this tank?"

"None, but Bruhl is noted to being the home of the Gunther family. Our sources indicate that Belgen Gunther's son lived in Bruhl, so perhaps there is a connection there," noted Rommel.

Gunther. That was a name that Byzantium was all too familiar with. The Gunther family was well known to him as the vaunted protectors of Gallia. And they were responsible for several Gallian victories over French, English, and even Imperial forces in the past. Belgen Gunther had defended Gallian in the last war. And now hearing that his son was somehow involved with this incident in Bruhl, it piqued Byzantium's interest with this latest development. Enough that it warranted some kind of response.

"Perhaps. Have some people look into this. If his name comes up again, I want to know about it immediately," ordered Byzantium.

"I have already assigned a team to look into this. Rest assured, if Gunther appears on our radar again, we'll know about it," said Rommel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this went well. Hopefully, with my new writing regimen, I can update more frequently.
> 
> Just a note, the Imperial Palace here is the one seen in one of the episodes in the VC anime. I figured for someone like Byzantium, it was a structure befitting his powerful station and such.
> 
> Also, the Sherman Minute tank versions here are the same kind of tanks used by the Atlantic Federation in VC4, themselves based on the historic M4 Sherman tanks of WWII. Looked up the scale of these tanks and they were supposedly larger than real-life Sherman tanks and weighed less than them (or around the same, not sure which). Here I figure the Gallians would have some of their own in order to bolster their tank forces, having bought them from the Americans and modified them to fit their needs. Here, the Shermans and its variants will appear as the Minuteman version of the tank but scaled to real-world specifications.
> 
> Lastly, for those who don't know, Reichsmarschall here means "Marshall of the Realm/Empire". Here it's essentially the highest-ranking person in the German military, second to the Kaiser. 
> 
> As always, leave a review on what you think of this chapter. And if you want to talk to me about this story or have a question about it, please send a PM and I will answer this as best as I can. For now, see you next time.
> 
> \- Heinkelboy05


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